Conversion of Hypoxanthine Derivatives to Succinyl Adenine Derivatives by Bacillus subtilis

A mutant strain HA-2 was derived from an adenine-requiring mutant of Bacillus subtilis IAM 1145 by transduction with bacteriophage SP-10 and subsequent N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine treatment. The strain could convert exogenously supplemented hypoxanthine or inosine to succinyladenine, succinyladenosine and succinyladenosine 5′-monophosphate (succinyl AMP), and accumulate these compounds in the culture fluid. The strain, however, failed to convert exogenously supplemented inosine 5′-monophosphate to these succinyl compounds. The yields of succinyladenine, succinyladenosine and succinyl-AMP in a production medium supplemented with 17 mm of hypoxanthine were about 4.4 mm, 5.2 mm and 2.2 mm, respectively, after 4 days growth.