Glycolaldehyde is a precursor of pyridoxal phosphate in Escherichia coli B.

Carbon-labeled glycolaldehyde prepared from [(14)C]serine was used to supply the nutritional requirement of a pyridoxineless auxotroph of Escherichia coli. Pyridoxal phosphate isolated from bacteria so grown was found to have incorporated the radioactive glycolaldehyde with little dilution. The radioactivity which was unincorporated into pyridoxal phosphate was recovered almost entirely in the culture fluid. The results establish for the first time that glycolaldehyde is indeed a natural precursor of pyridoxal phosphate or it is readily converted to such a precursor.