MUTANT STRAINS OF NEUROSPORA DEFICIENT IN AMINATING ABILITY

Abstract

Since the inauguration of biochemical work on Neurospora crassa, mutant strains have been found which have requirements for most of the commonly occurring L-α-amino acids. In many cases the requirement seems to be for the keto analogue of the amino acid, since the keto analogue and the D-amino acid, if the latter is attacked by the D-amino acid oxidase, are generally utilized. One exception to this is the case of the lysineless mutant for which L- and D-α-aminoadipic acids are active but α-ketoadipic is inactive. This paper deals with two mutant strains which will grow on any one of a number of α-amino acids and which appear to require exogenous a-amino nitrogen.