AMINO ACID UTILIZATION BY ALCALIGENES VISCOLACTIS FOR GROWTH AND SLIME PRODUCTION.

Punch, J. D. (University of Minnesota, St. Paul), J. C. Olson, Jr., and J. V. Scaletti. Amino acid utilization by Alcaligenes viscolactis for growth and slime production. J. Bacteriol. 89:1521-1525. 1965.-The ability of Alcaligenes viscolactis to utilize amino acids in a basal salts solution (K(2)HPO(4), KH(2)PO(4), MgSO(4), MnSO(4), FeSO(4), NaCl) was studied. Of 27 amino acids, only l-asparagine, l-glutamic acid, l-aspartic acid, l-glutamine, l-proline, and l-tyrosine supported growth sufficient to give a viscous supernatant solution. l-Proline and l-tyrosine, singly or combined, fulfilled the carbon, nitrogen, and energy requirements for growth and slime production. None of eight inorganic nitrogenous compounds supported growth with lactose as the carbon source. The addition of l-asparagine, l-aspartic acid, or l-glutamine to l-tyrosine or l-proline, singly or combined, did not increase growth or slime production, indicating no nutritional interactions among these amino acids. Neither lactose nor glucose was found to be required or utilized by A. viscolactis in a medium containing basal salts, l-proline, l-tyrosine, and lactose or glucose. This was established by the fact that total carbohydrate and total reducing activity remained constant during growth and slime production.