Properties of allyl alcohol-resistant mutants of Clostridium butyricum grown on glycerol

Abstract

Mutants of Clostridium butyricum E5 exhibiting resistance to allyl alcohol which produced the same quantities of 1,3-propanediol as the wild- type strain but more acetate than butyrate were isolated. The acetatebutyrate formation plays a major function in the regulation of the internal redox balance. Allyl alcohol resistance can be attributed not to the loss of 1,3- propanediol dehydrogenase but to a shift in the reductive properties of the enzyme. The data support the view that cellular regulation is modified to avoid intracellular accumulation of 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde.