[Amination and biosynthesis of glutamate by R- and S-forms of Bacillus thuringiensis]

These studies were designed to determine the biochemical nature of the Bacillus thuringiensis growth being dependent on glutamate during cultivation in a minimal medium. This is possible to be due to the absence of enzymes which catalyze glutamic acid synthesis by direct amination of alpha-ketoglutaric acid, glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamate synthase, and a decrease in the activity of the enzyme catalyzing amination of pyruvic acid, alanine dehydrogenase. It has been shown that the lack of glutamate can be compensated by histidine and proline; in this case, the growth efficiency of R form is greater than that of S form which is consistent with an increased rate of protein synthesis of R form.