Cyanide-Induced Acetylation of Amino Acids by Enzymes of Clostridium Kluyveri

During experiments on the effect of cyanide on the oxidation of ethanol and butyrate by dried cell preparations of Clostridium kluyveri (3), it was observed that cyanide depressed acetyl phosphate accumulation much more than the oxygen uptake.An investigation of this phenomenon led to the discovery that cyanide at rather high levels induces a rapid enzymatic acetylation of amino acids and proteins in which acetyl phosphate serves as the acetyl donor.This paper reports the basic observations that established the nature of the cyanide-induced reaction.