[Vitamin B 12 dependent methionine biosynthesis in pseudomonas aeruginosa]

Among methionineless mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO lacking the ability of methylating homocysteine we found two different types: One of them responding to methionine only, the other one to methionine or vitamin B12 alternatively. That means that P. aeruginosa PAO as well as other B12-producing bacteria (with one exception: Aerobacter aerogenes) use only the B12 pathway (metH) for methionine synthesis. The effect of some cys-auxotrophs equally growing on vitamin B12 as described by Calhoun and Feary (1969) was confirmed for P. aeruginosa PAO by our mutants. In a P. aeruginosa strain of other origin, PAE, neither met- nor cys-mutants responding to B12 have been found, although strain PAE as well as strain PAO excessively synthesize B12.