Glutamine, glutamic acid, and glycolysis in Bacillus subtilis.

The effect of glutamic acid and glutamine on glycolysis is one of the few examples of a direct and apparently specific action of amino acids on a particular phase of carbohydrate metabolism. Glutamine has been shown to stimulate glycolysis in Streptococcus hemolyticus (1) and in iron-deficient cells of Clostridium tetuni (2). Glutamine, glutamic acid, and related compounds have also been reported to increase aerobic glycolysis in brain slices (3). During an investigation of the metabolism of glutamine and glutamic acid by Bacillus subtilis it was observed that both of these compounds markedly stimulated the utilization of glucose. Analysis of the products of the reaction revealed an additional effect of the dicarboxylic acid and its amide, i.e. stimulation of the non-oxidative conversion of pyruvic acid to acetoin with simultaneous decrease of the oxidative breakdown of the keto acid.