Cell extracts of Clostridium kluyveri, grown on ethanol plus succinate contained a succinyl-CoA:CoA transferase (0.28 U/mg), a coenzyme-A-dependent succinate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (0.73 U/mg) and a NAD(+)-dependent 4-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (0.25 U/mg). The semialdehyde dehydrogenase, which catalyzed the NADPH-dependent reduction of succinyl-CoA to succinate semialdehyde, was purified 59-fold to homogeneity. A molecular mass of 115000 Da was determined for the native enzyme; SDS/PAGE revealed one protein band at 55,000, indicating that the active form is a dimer. The enzyme was highly specific for succinyl-CoA and succinate semialdehyde. The pH optimum was 7.0 for the reduction of succinyl-CoA, and 8.5 for the reverse reaction. Km values were determined for both the forward and reverse directions. The kinetic data suggest a ping-pong mechanism.