Synthesis of pulcherriminic acid by Bacillus subtilis.
The pathway of pulcherriminic acid synthesis in Bacillus subtilis strains AM and AM-L11 (a leucine-requiring auxotroph) was investigated. Determinations of radioactivity in pulcherriminic acid synthesized by cells growing in media containing (14)C-labeled amino acids indicated that B. subtilis produced pulcherriminic acid from l-leucine. The organism utilized the carbon skeletons of two l-leucine molecules to synthesize one molecule of pulcherriminic acid. Similar results were obtained with starved cell suspensions. Growing cells formed significant amounts of pulcherriminic acid only in media including a carbohydrate such as starch. However, carbohydrate carbon was not required for the synthesis of pulcherriminic acid molecules. Data obtained with cell suspensions supported the hypothesis that cyclo-l-leucyl-l-leucyl is an intermediate in pulcherriminic acid biosynthesis and indicated that molecular oxygen is required for the conversion of cyclo-l-leucyl-l-leucyl to pulcherriminic acid. A pathway for the synthesis of pulcherrimin from l-leucine in B. subtilis is proposed.
D000332:Aerobiosis; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D003470:Culture Media; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D007930:Leucine / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D009153:Mutagens; D009154:Mutation; D009604:Nitrosoguanidines; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011719:Pyrazines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013213:Starch / Q000378:metabolism; D013237:Stereoisomerism
D000596:Amino Acids; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003470:Culture Media; D003517:Cyclopentanes; D004151:Dipeptides; D009153:Mutagens; D009604:Nitrosoguanidines; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D011719:Pyrazines; D013213:Starch; D007501:Iron; D007930:Leucine