Some patterns of B vitamin requirements among neritic marine bacteria

Abstract

Twenty-four different patterns of single and multiple requirements for various B vitamins were demonstrated for 665 cultures of marine bacteria grown in a basal synthetic seawater medium enriched with phosphate, vitamin-free casamino acids, dextrose, and succinate. Among 114 thiamine-requiring isolates, 55 were unable to make the pyrimidine moiety, 19 required thiazole, 13 needed both thiazole and the pyrimidine moiety, while 27 organisms required thiamine or thiamine pyrophosphate for growth. Among 142 biotin requirers, 22 had to be supplied with biotin, 60 could use either biotin or biocytin, 54 were able to respond to either biotin, biocytin, or desthiobiotin. Only six cultures could not use biocytin, and required either biotin or desthiobiotin. Various responses of vitamin B12 requiring cultures indicated special types of specificity for cyanocobalamin and analogues of this vitamin. Computer-sorting at the 0.66 similarity coefficient breaking point arranged a group of 104 isolates into eight clusters. The isolates having biotin or thiamine requirements, single or in combination with other vitamin needs, appeared to be randomly scattered through the eight clusters.