Effect of glucose and low oxygen tension on L-asparaginase production by a strain of Escherichia coli B.

Cultural and nutritional requirements for maximum l-asparaginase synthesis were determined. Conventional aerobic and anaerobic fermentations were not satisfactory. The former yielded larger quantities of cells containing minimal amounts of l-asparaginase, whereas the latter supplied only minute amounts of bacteria that contained an abundance of enzyme. However, the combination of these classical methods, i.e., allowing growth to proceed aerobically until the mid to late exponential phase and then forcing the facultative microbial cells toward anaerobic metabolism by static incubation, produced 2.6 international units of enzyme per ml of fermentation broth when glucose was present. Enzyme synthesis was not induced by terminating aeration-agitation in the absence of glucose, nor was it induced in the presence of glucose when aeration was continued. Use of 0.2 m phosphate buffer resulted in a constant pH near the optimum value of 7.5 during l-asparaginase formation. Addition of 0.05% l-asparagine prior to induction was also beneficial, but other amino acids or their catabolites failed to increase biosynthesis of l-asparaginase.