Since the report of a blue protein present in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VERKOEVA~ and TAKEDA, 1956), similar proteins have been found in some species of three bacterial genera--Pseudomonas, Bordetella and Alcaligenes (SundErLAND and WILXI~SO~, 1963). A blue component, subsequently shown to be a protein, was observed in extracts of Bordetella pertussis (HAMMAtCSTEN et al., 1959) and the name azurin was given to this protein and to the similar material found in Bordetellaparapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica (SuTHERLA~D and Wmxi~so~, 1963). Studies on a denitrifying bacterium, tentatively identified as Pseudomonas denitri/ieans, also resulted in isolation of a blue protein in crystalline form, having resemblance to azurin in some of its properties (Sczv~I and IWA-SA~:L 1962).
The present study is concerned to ascertain the extent to which azurin and similar proteins are produced by a variety of bacterial species and also to determine some of the requirements for azurin production in representative species. Some preliminary results have been reported (SuT~LA~D, 1965).
Methods
Organisms. The bacterial strains were obtained from the National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) Co]indale, London; the National Collection of Industrial Bacteria (NCIB) Aberdeen; or the Czechoslovak Culture Collection of Entemogenous Bacteria (CCEB) Praha, unless otherwise indicated. The strains used were: