Metabolism of nitrilotriacetate by cells of Pseudomonas species.

A Pseudomonas species was isolated from soil which could degrade nitrilotriacetate (NTA) to CO(2), H(2)O, NH(3), and cellular constituents without the accumulation of significant quantities of intermediates either in the presence or absence of several inhibitors. After extensive gas chromatography analysis, small quantities of aspartate, glycine, and aconitate were the only detectable compounds to accumulate during NTA degradation, and these compounds were not excreted from the cells. Manometric studies indicated that iminodiacetate, glycine, and glyoxylate are possible intermediates, whereas N-methyliminodiacetate, sarcosine, and acetate are not. The data are consistent with an oxidative cleavage of the C-N bond of NTA as the initial degradation step.