Aspects of glycine and serine biosynthesis during growth of Pseudomonas AM1 on C₁ compounds

1. Methanol or formate can replace serine or glycine as supplements for growth on succinate of the auxotrophic mutants 20S and 82G of Pseudomonas AM1, showing that the organism can synthesize glycine and serine in net fashion from C₁ units. 2. Double mutants of Pseudomonas 20S and 82G have been prepared (20ST-1 and 82GT-1) that are unable to grow on succinate+1mm-glyoxylate, succinate+2mm-methanol or methanol alone. 3. Mutants 20ST-1 and 82GT-1 lacked serine–glyoxylate aminotransferase activity, and revertants to the phenotype of 20S and 82G regained serine–glyoxylate aminotransferase activity. A total revertant of 82GT-1 to wild-type phenotype regained activities of serine hydroxymethyltransferase and serine–glyoxylate aminotransferase. 4. The activity of serine–glyoxylate aminotransferase in methanol-grown Pseudomonas AM1 is eightfold higher than in the succinate-grown organism. 5. The combined results show that in Pseudomonas AM1 serine–glyoxylate aminotransferase is necessary for growth on C₁ compounds and is involved in the conversion of methanol into glycine via glyoxylate. 6. It is suggested that the phosphorylated pathway of serine biosynthesis from phosphoglycerate replenishes the supply of α-amino groups necessary for the flow of glyoxylate through the main assimilatory pathway during growth on C₁ compounds.