Inverse Relationship between Homoserine Dehydrogenase Activity and Uridine Productivity in a Pyrimidine Analogue-resistant Mutant of Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

A uridine-overproducing mutant of Bacillus subtilis was found to require homoserine for growth due to a defect of homoserine dehydrogenase. When the mutant reverted back to prototropy, the production of uridine was decreased by about 40%; the decrease was, however, restored to an appreciable extent by adding aspartic acid, the common precursor for the biosynthesis of homoserine and UMP.