An acetylene utilizing Gordona (Rhodococcus) bronchialis strain, screened for the production of fine chemicals, was found to be capable of producing small amounts of lysine. Attempts to produce amino-acid analog-resistant and/or sensitive mutants and auxotrophs of this strain with increased lysine production were made following UV-irradiation or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) treatment. The bacterium exhibited surprisingly high resistance levels to the aforementioned mutagens which is attributed to highly effective inborn-repair systems. Natural resistance to high levels of S-(2-aminoethyl)-L-cysteine (AEC) (2%) was observed, in contrast with D, L-aspartic acid hydroxamate (AAH), L-lysine hydroxamate (LHX) and beta-fluoropyruvate (FP). A variety of amino-acid analog-resistant (AAHr, LHXr) or analog-sensitive (FPs) mutants were produced following UV-irradiation or MNNG treatment. Similarly, a large number of auxotrophs (68) of different types were also obtained. From these, one FPs mono-auxotroph and two poly-auxotrophs (with at least one requirement for the aspartic acid family) showed an increased lysine production (approximately 1.8 g/L) comparable (4 g/L) to that found in other bacteria capable of utilizing long-chain hydrocarbons (1).
Acetylene Asparagine