Amino acid biosynthesis in the spirochete Leptospira: evidence for a novel pathway of isoleucine biosynthesis.

Radioactive carbon dioxide was incubated with growing cells of Leptospira interrogans serotypes semaranga and tarassovi, and the specific activities and distribution of the label within the cellular amino acids were determined. The origins of the carbon skeletons of all the acid-stable amino acids except isoleucine were found to be consistent with known biosynthetic pathways for these amino acids. Experiments using radioactive carbon dioxide and other tracers indicated that most of the isoleucine was synthesized by a pathway not involving threonine. The origin of the carbon skeleton of isoleucine consisted of two residues of pyruvate (carbons 2 and 3) and acetate of acetyl-coenzyme A by this pathway. Isotope competition studies indicated that the pathway was regulated by isoleucine. The results are discussed in relation to two proposed pathways of isoleucine biosynthesis involving citramalate as an intermediate.