SUMMARY: Methionine-requiring mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae produce large amounts of hydrogen sulphide from sulphate, sulphite or thiosulphate when grown in the presence of suboptimum concentrations of methionine. O-Acetylhomoserine and homocysteine act like methionine with a methionine-requiring mutant which can use them for growth. Wild-type strains of S. cerevisiae and S. carlsbergensis also form large amounts of hydrogen sulphide from inorganic sulphur sources when the yeast is deficient in either pantothenate or vitamin B6. This excess sulphide production is inhibited by methionine or its immediate precursors, suggesting that both vitamins are required for methionine biosynthesis. O-Acetylhomoserine is a normal precursor of homocysteine and methionine in S. cerevisiae and S. carlsbergensis. The effect of pantothenate on sulphide production by these yeasts is probably due to its involvement in the formation of O-acetylhomoserine.
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