Mechanism of nitrogen assimilation from amino-acids by yeast

ABSTRACT EHRLICH1 showed, in general, that an α-amino-acid if supplied to yeast as its sole source of nitrogen undergoes deamination, since the corresponding higher alcohol can be recovered

from the fermented medium ; he inferred that the ammonia simultaneously liberated is utilized for the synthesis of cell proteins. Coupled with the known fact that fusel oil (a mixture of

these higher alcohols) is produced during the fermentation by yeast of natural substrates such, as beer wort, the primary source of nitrogen of which consists of a complex mixture of

α-amino-acids, this, work of Ehrlich initiated the widespread view2 that deamination of α-amino-acids is the normal mechanism of nitrogen assimilation by yeast. It is a corollary of this

view that no amino-acid could be superior to ammonia as a nitrogen nutrient for yeast. While this is generally true when single amino-acids are used as the nitrogen source3 (deamination

being obligatory in such cases), it is demonstrably false when the nitrogen is supplied as a mixture of many amino-acids. I have shown that approximately half the assimilable nitrogen of

beer wort is assimilated by yeast fully five times faster than ammonia nitrogen. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your

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article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in

* Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS GLUCOSE FEEDS THE TRICARBOXYLIC ACID CYCLE VIA EXCRETED ETHANOL IN

FERMENTING YEAST Article 15 August 2022 THE OXYGEN-TOLERANT REDUCTIVE GLYCINE PATHWAY ASSIMILATES METHANOL, FORMATE AND CO2 IN THE YEAST _KOMAGATAELLA PHAFFII_ Article Open access 27

November 2023 GROWTH OF COMPLETE AMMONIA OXIDIZERS ON GUANIDINE Article Open access 14 August 2024 REFERENCES * Ehrlich, F., _Ber._, 40, 1027 (1907); 44, 139 (1911); 45, 883 (1912). * For

example, see Baldwin, E., "_Dynamic Aspects of Biochemistry_" 327 (Cambridge, 1948). Google Scholar  * Thorne, R. S. W., _J. Inst. Brew._, 38, 255 (1941). Article  Google Scholar 

* Thorne, R. S. W., _J. Inst. Brew._, 46, 18 (1949). Article  Google Scholar  * Barton-Wright, E. C. (private communication). Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS

* Institute of Brewing Research Laboratories, University, Birmingham, 15 R. S. W. THORNE Authors * R. S. W. THORNE View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed 

Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE THORNE, R. Mechanism of Nitrogen Assimilation from Amino-Acids by Yeast. _Nature_ 164,

369–370 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/164369b0 Download citation * Issue Date: 27 August 1949 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/164369b0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link

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