Nutritional requirement for 4-aminobenzoate caused by mutation of dihydropteroate synthetase

Aerobacter aerogenes mutant 62-1 AC requires high concentrations of 4-aminobenzoate for growth. The mutant accumulates N-glucosyl-4-aminobenzoate and has an intact 4-aminobenzoate synthetase (Bacher, Gilch, Rappold, and Lingens, Z. Naturforsch. 28 c, 614-617 [1973]). On the other hand the ability of the mutant to synthesize dihydropteroate is markedly reduced. The dihydropteroate synthetase level of mutant 62-1 AC is 1% as compared to the parent strain. Spontaneous revertants of mutant 62-1 AC show wild type levels of dihydropteroate synthetase. We conclude that the requirement for 4-aminobenzoate in mutant 62-1 AC is due to poor utilization of 4-aminobenzoate as a consequence of the low level of dihydropteroate synthetase activity.