The effect of some pantothenate derivatives on growth and coenzyme-A synthesis in bacteria

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Abstract
The following compounds were tested for ability to replace pantothenic acid or pantetheine in growth and coenzyme A (CoA) synthesis by various bacteria: pantothenyl-L-cysteine; di-pantothenyl-L-cystine; pantothenyl-L-cysteine-4[image]-phosphate; panto-thenyl-beta-alanine; pantothenyl-DL-alpha-alanine; pantothenylglycine; N-pantothenylaminoacetaldehyde; N-pantothenyl-2-hydroxyethylamine; pantothenamide; pantothenyl-L-glutamic acid; pantetheine-4[image]-phosphate. Of these substances only pantothenylglycine is an effective substitute for pantothenic acid in the growth of Lactobacillus arabinosus and in CoA synthesis by suspensions of this organism. Evidence was obtained, by the use of pantoyltaurine as an inhibitor, that pantothenylglycine is effective only after its hydrolysis to pantothenic acid. None of these compounds (pantothenyl-L-glutamic acid and N-pantothenyl-2-hydroxy-ethylamine were not tested) replace pantetheine in supporting the growth of L. helveticus. With the exception of pantothenyl-beta-alanine (pantothenyl-L-glutamic acid and pantothenyl-2-hydroxyethylamine were not tested), none of the above compounds supports the pantothenic acid-limited growth of Proteus morganii. This compound supports only 20-30% of the growth due to an equivalent amount of pantothenic acid. Pantetheine has a sparing effect on the cystine requirements of L. arabinosus but not on those of Leuconostoc mesenteroides. This feature probably accounts (in part, at least) for the greater reliability of the cystine assays in which the latter organism is used. Washed suspensions of L. arabinosus took up cystine from the medium. The uptake was independent of the presence of added pantothenate or of the pantothenate concentration in the cells. The mechanism of CoA synthesis is discussed in relation to these findings.