アミノ酸拮抗物質の研究 (第8報)

微生物におけるアルギノコハク酸およびカナバノコハク酸の生成

抄録

Acetone-dried cells of Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus arabinosus were prepared and the formation of arginosuccinic acid (ASA) and canavanosuccinic acid (CSA) from arginine or canavanine and fumarate was followed by paper electrophoresis and paper chromatography. ASA was found to be formed by the parent strain of E. coli but it was not detected with its arginine-requiring mutant (cannot be compensated with ornithine or citrulline). Even with the parent strain, its culture in a medium containing arginine causes disappearance of arginosuccinase activity and ASA formation does not take place. The formation of CSA was identical with the case of ASA. With Lact. arabinosus, ASA was formed from citrulline and aspartic acid, as well as from arginine and fumarate. CSA itself inhibits proliferation of Lact. arabinosus and this inhibition is easily recovered with arginine. Considerations were made on the action mechanism of canavanine from these experimental results.