Lysis of Escherichia coli by glycine is potentiated by pyridoxine starvation

Abstract

Pyridoxineless mutants of E. coli are lysed in a few hours when starved for pyridoxine in a glucose minimal medium containing glycine at 10 mM. The lysis is prevented equally well by L alanine and by D alanine when either is present at 0.1 mM. The lysis is potentiated by 0.5 mM L methionine. The peculiar susceptibility of E. coli B to glycine mediated lysis during starvation for pyridoxine suggests that the starvation reduces the availability of some normal antagonist of glycine, presumably alanine.