Homoaconitic Acid Accumulation by a Lysine-Requiring Yeast Mutant

Homoaconitic acid, the second intermediate of the proposed pathway for lysine biosynthesis in yeast, is accumulated in the growth medium of a lysine-requiring mutant. This acid has been identified on paper and column chromatography by comparing it with authentic cis-homoaconitic acid. The infrared spectrum of the isolated material was identical with that of synthetic cis-homoaconitic acid. In addition, the chemical structure of the enzymatic product has been verified by degradation to glyoxylic and α-ketoglutaric acids after treatment with KMnO4 and HIO4 and by catalytic reduction to the saturated acid 1,2,4-butanetricarboxylic acid. The isolated homoaconitic acid was also identified as a substrate for a purified enzyme preparation of homoaconitase.