BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF PANTOTHENIC ACID ANALOGUES ON SACCHAROMYCES SAKE AND LACTIC ACID BACTERIA.

Abstract

1. The growth-promoting effect of ω-methyl pantothenic acid on Saccharomyces sake (strain No. 6) was studied and it was found that pantothenic acid can be replaced with β-alanine in Saccharomyces sake as in other yeasts. ω-Methyl pantoic acid, formed by the removal of β-alanine from ω-methyl pantothenic acid, has a slight inhibitory effect but it has a remarkable growth-promoting effect after addition of an equimolar amount of β-alanine. It supports the hypothesis that the β-alanine moiety contained in ω-methyl pantothenic acid can be reutilized for the biosynthesis of pantothenic acid in this yeast.2. Biological activities of pantothenic acid analogues other than ω-methyl pantothenic acid on Saccharomyces sake were also studied. Bis(N-pantoyl-β-amino ethyl) disulfide and bis(N-methyl pantoyl-β-amino ethyl) disulfide were found to have an inhibitory effect. These analogues do not contain the β-alanine moiety in the molecules. Panthenol, which was formed by the replacement of the β-alanine moiety in pantothenic acid with ethanolamine, gave no effect on the growth of the yeast. These results support the possibility that the growth-promoting effect of ω-methyl pantothenic acid is due to the β-alanine moiety contained in the molecule.3. Though ω-methyl pantethine contains a β-alaine moiety in the molecule, it showed an inhibitory effect on the yeast. It was also shown that pantethine can not replace pantothenic acid and that bis (N-β-alanyl-2-amino ethyl) disulfide, a moiety of pantethine or ω-methyl pantethine molecules, had only a slight promoting effect. β-Alanine contained in these molecules of the pantethine level cannot be utilized effectively. The reason is still unknown, but it seemed probable that it is related not only with the permeability of the cell membrane but also with the enzymatic system in the pathway of coenzyme A biosynthesis.4. Biological activities of pantothenic acid and pantethine were also studied. The growth-promoting effect of pantothenic acid on Lactobacillus arabinosus 17-5 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides P-60 were found to be greater than that of pantethine. Lactobacillus arabinosus 17-5 showed exceptionally high specificity. On the other hand, pantethine was more effective than pantothenic acid on Lactobacillus helveticus IAM-1042 and Lactobacillus bulgaricus B1. However, the growth of these bacteria in this basal medium was very poor, but the growth was improved by the addition of skim milk, so that it seemed likely that the medium is devoid of some nutrional factors necessary for these bacteria.