Abstract
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient for the flagellate Prymnesium parvum when growing in axenic culture and apparently can be replaced only by a few related "incomplete" analogues, i.e. only those devoid of one or both benzimidazole- methyl groups; and, of the substituted analogues, some (e.g. the mono-acid, the dicarboxylic acid and the ethylamide of B12) can replace vitamin B12, but some others of this group, e.g. pseudovitamin B12 2-methylmercaptoadenine cobamide, the ethylamide mono-acid, methylamide and anilide of the vitamin B12 act as competitive inhibitors of the growth of P. parvum.