Biochemistry of Amino Acids - A. Majster 1961
The Role of Amino Acids in Nutrition
Amino Acid Requirements in Microorganisms
Amino acid requirements in Bacteria vary widely, ranging from species that can synthesize all the Amino Acids they need (e.g., Escherichia coli) to those that require a complex set of amino acids (e.g., Leuconostoc mesenteroides). Extensive data have been gathered on the Nutritional Requirements of lactic acid bacteria, as this group of organisms has proven particularly useful for the microbiological assay of amino acids. Microbial mutants (such as mutants of E. coli and Neurospora crassa) requiring only a single amino acid have also proved suitable for analytical purposes. Data on The amino acid requirements of various bacteria are presented in Table 14.
Amino acid requirements can vary considerably depending on the COMPOSITION OF THE nutrient medium, Temperature, and other factors (such as the presence of carbon dioxide). The Role of glutamine as a growth factor for certain bacteria will be discussed elsewhere (p. 318). Because bacteria can adapt to various nutrient media, classifying specific substances as supplementary growth factors is only of relative significance. Impurities present in the amino acids used have repeatedly led to experimental errors; consequently, many researchers prefer to use synthetic amino acids that are generally free from other amino acid impurities (p. 91). However, The Use of racemic amino acids also introduces certain complications. The presence of the D-isomer may cause growth inhibition, and the growth-promoting effect of a particular D-isomer can thus be masked. Inhibitory effects may also occur when high concentrations of certain L-amino acids (or other growth factors) are used. An extensive literature is devoted to the amino acid requirements of bacteria. For a detailed review of microbiological Methods for Amino acid determination, the surveys by Snell [114] and Dunn [115] can be recommended.
Class="center">Table 14 Amino acid requirements of certain bacteria *
|
Amino acid |
Lactobacillus аrаbinоsus [108] |
Streptococcus lactis [109] |
Lactobacillus easel [110] |
Streptococcus faecalis [111] |
Leuconostoc meseiitcrоi- des [112] |
Treponema Peiteri [113] |
|
— |
— |
(+) |
+ |
(+) |
— |
|
|
(+) |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
Aspartic acid |
(+) |
— |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
Valine |
+ |
+ |
+ |
— |
+ |
+ |
|
(+) |
(+) |
(+) |
— |
+ |
+ |
|
|
— |
— |
— |
+ |
+ |
— |
|
|
Glutamic acid |
+ |
— |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
Isoleucine |
+ |
+ |
(+) |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
Leucine |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
+ |
(+) |
(+) |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
(+) |
+ |
(+) |
— |
+ |
+ |
|
|
— |
— |
— |
— |
+ |
** |
|
|
— |
(+) |
+ |
+ |
(+) |
||
|
(+) |
— |
+ |
(+) |
+ |
(+) |
|
|
(+) |
— |
(+) |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
+ |
— |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
|
Phenylalanine |
(+) |
(+) |
+ |
— |
+ |
+ |
|
Cystine |
+ |
— |
+ |
(+) |
+ |
+ |
* + essential; — non-essential; (+) growth-stimulating.
** Can be replaced by glutamic acid.
The Study of Microbial growth conditions has yielded valuable insights into the metabolic interrelationships among amino acids. Amino acid Biosynthesis in E. coli, N. crassa, and other microorganisms has been the subject of numerous detailed investigations that will be discussed in Chapter IV.
Last update: 06/08/2026
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