Studies on the degradation of pterine and pterine-6-carboxylic acid by Pseudomonas fluorescens UK-1.

Pseudomonas fluorescens UK-1 has been incubated in basal mineral medium which was 0.5mM in pterine or pterine-6-carboxylic acid. During incubation the test organism splits the pteridine ring by liberating carbon dioxide from position 2. Glucose added to the medium greatly enhances both the growth of the organism and the carbon dioxide formation. Despite the structural similarities between pterine and pterine-6-carboxylic acid, only the degradation products derived from pterine are fluorescent in UV-light. Among the degradation products lumazine, pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid, and pyrazine-2-carboxamide have been identified. Also the activities of pterine deaminase and a carbon dioxide-liberating enzyme have been determined.