title: Formation of progesterone and 1-dehydroprogesterone from cholesterol in fermentation cultures of Mycobacterium aurum.
abstract: The formation of progesterone and 1-dehydroprogesterone from cholesterol in fermentation cultures of Mycobacterium aurum ATCC 25790 was studied with the aim of clarifying the microbial pathway. The C22-intermediate (20S)-20-carboxy-1,4-pregnadien-3-one was microbiologically converted via the undetectable corresponding aldehyde into the C22-alcohol. However in the fermentation broth without microorganisms, but containing 2,2'-bipyridyl and copper ions, synthetically prepared C22-aldehyde was oxidized to the corresponding C21-compound 1-dehydroprogesterone, suggesting that the enzymatically originated C22-aldehydes may be immediately chemically oxidized to the corresponding C21-ketones.
authors.affiliation: G.D.R., Central Institute of Microbiology and Experimental Therapy, Jena.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hörhold
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Böhme
mesh_terms: D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005285:Fermentation; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: C038897:1-dehydroprogesterone; D011374:Progesterone; D002784:Cholesterol