Abstract
When Rhodococcus erythropolis AN-13 grew on aniline, a fluorescent substance accumulated in the cultural fluid. It was obtained as crystals and identified as anthranilic acid (AnA). AnA was also produced from aniline following incubation with resting cells of the bacterium grown on aniline. Heated cells lost the activity to produce it, and aniline was essential for its production. The production of AnA was promoted by sodium bicarbonate ; when [14C] sodium bicarbonate was added to the incubation mixture, [14C] AnA was formed. The optimal pH for AnA production by the resting cells was 7.0 to 7.5. These results suggest that microbial activities of R. erythropolis AN-13 catalyzed the formation of AnA from aniline.
