678 PANTOTHENIC ACID 



would be as a result of a deficiency of pantothenic acid. The pathological 

 effects of a deficiency of this vitamin have not been clearly defined in hu- 

 mans. In view of the ubiquitous occurrence of the vitamin in nature, it is 

 probable that pantothenic acid deficiency is a rare occurrence in humans, 

 except possibly for the burning feet syndrome seen in the prisoners of war 

 and among some malnourished peoples in the Far East. Apparently, the 

 most propitious place to pursue the study of the deficiency would be in that 

 part of the world where this syndrome is most often encountered. Glusman 

 feels that the syndrome is due to a nutritional deficiency and suggests calling 

 it "nutritional melalgia" (nutritional limb pain); he apparently considers 

 pantothenic acid one of the major nutritional factors involved. 



C. IN MICROORGANISMS 

 E. E. SNELL 



Pantothenic acid was discovered independently as a growth factor for 

 yeast^'*^' ^^^ and for lactic acid bacteria ;-^^ it was only after extensive work 

 on its properties, distribution, and purification had been carried out with 

 these microorganisms that the active compound present in the concentrates 

 was shown to be identical with a relatively uncharacterized substance re- 

 quired for growth of animals.^^*^' 252. 253 ^jjg vitamin is required for growth 

 by a large variety of microorganisms j^^''- ^^^' ^^^ those that do not require it 

 preformed synthesize it. In the absence of the vitamin, organisms that do 

 not synthesize it fail to grow, and in the presence of suboptimal amounts of 

 it, growth increases with the vitamin concentration. Microbiological as- 

 says for the vitamin are based upon this fact.^^^ 



In addition to its effects on growth, several rather specific relationships 

 of pantothenic acid to the metabolism of microorganisms have been noted. 

 Glycogen storage by yeast is reported to increase definitely when panto- 

 thenic acid is supplied to the growing cultures.^" The requirement of many 

 lactic acid bacteria for pantothenic acid is considerably decreased by the 



249 R. J. Williams, C. M. Lyman, G. H. Goodyear, J. H. Truesdail, and D. Holaday, 

 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 55, 2912 (1933). 



250 R. J. Williams, Advances in Enzymol. 3, 253 (1943). 



2" E. E. Snell, F. M. Strong, and W. H. Peterson, Biochem. J. 31, 1789 (1937); /. Am. 



Chem. <Soc. 60, 2825 (1938). 

 262 D. W. Woolley, H. A. Waisman, and C. A. Elvehjem, /. Am. Chem. Soc. 61, 977 



(1939). 

 253 T. H. Jukes, /. Am. Chem. Soc. 61, 975 (1939). 

 2" B. C. J. G. Knight, Vitamins and Hormones 3, 105 (1945). 

 268 W. H. Peterson and M. S. Peterson, Bacteriol. Revs. 9, 49 (1945). 

 266 E. E. Snell in Vitamin Methods, Vol. I, p. 327. Academic Press, New York, 1950. 

 2" R. J. Williams, W. A. Mosher, and E. Rohrmann, Biochem. J. 30, 2036 (1936). 



