The degradation of choline by Candida tropicalis cells grown in a medium containing choline as a nitrogen source was examined. The degradation of choline by resting cells was stimulated by the addition of Cu2+ or glutathione, and inhibited by 2-mercaptoethanol or potassium cyanide. With feeding of [1,2-14C]choline in the resting cell reaction, the release of 14C-labelled ethylene glycol was observed on radio-gas-liquid chromatography. Ethylene glycol, as one of the degradation products, was also observed on thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatographies, and mass spectrometry. Thus, it is suggested that choline is converted to ethylene glycol and trimethylamine by C. tropicalis.
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Mori et al. (1988) studied this question.