Phenylalanine utilization for protein synthesis in beta-phenylpyruvic acid treated Escherichia coli cells

The possibility of coupling along the supply routes of phenylalanine from its uptake by the cell, through the charging of specific tRNAs, has been postulated. The experimental approach to testing this hypothesis has been to study the competition between endogenously synthesized and exogenously supplied amino acids, from which preferences for their incorporation into cellular proteins can be deduced. The results indicate that manipulation of the endogenous phenylalanine pool size, achieved by addition of its immediate precursor, beta-phenylpyruvate, does not cause the predicted changes in the incorporation of exogenous labelled phenylalanine into proteins. The evidence favours exogenous phenylalanine being preferentially delivered to the sites of protein synthesis.