Escherichia coli K-12 has two acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) isozymes (AHAS I and AHAS III). Both of these isozymes catalyze the synthesis of a-aceto-a-hydroxybutyrate and a-acetolactate, which are key intermediates of the isoleucine-valine biosynthetic pathway. Strains lacking either isozyme but not both activities have been previously shown to grow well in minimal media in the absence of isoleucine and valine on any of several commonly used carbon sources (e.g., glucose or succinate). We report the characterization of mutants that were unable to grow on either acetate or oleate as a sole carbon source due to a defect in isoleucine-valine biosynthesis. The defect in isoleucine-valine biosynthesis was expressed only on these carbon sources and was due to the loss of AHAS I activity, resulting from lesions in the ilvBN operon. Previously identified ilvBN mutant strains also failed to grow on acetate or oleate minimal media. Our results indicated that AHAS I is an essential enzyme for isoleucing and valine biosynthesis when E. coli K-12 is grown on acetate or oleate as the sole carbon source. AHAS III was expressed during growth on acetate or oleate but was somehow unable to produce sufficient amounts of a-aceto-a-hydroxybutyrate and aL-acetolactate to allow growth.Escherichia coli K-12 possesses the genetic capacity to express three acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) isozymes. AHAS activity is required in E. coli K-12 and in other enteric bacteria for the biosynthesis of a-aceto-ahydroxybutryate for the isoleucine biosynthesis and for the biosynthesis of a-acetolactate for valine biosynthesis ( Fig. 1) (for a review see reference 46). Strains deficient in either AHAS I activity or AHAS III activity are able to synthesize sufficient amounts of isoleucine and valine for growth on minimal media supplemented with various carbon sources (e.g., glucose, glycerol, and succinate) (15, 23). Since strains lacking both AHAS I activity and AHAS III activity require isoleucine and valine for growth (46) and the AHAS activity measured in extracts is valine sensitive (45), it has been assumed that the valine-resistant AHAS isozyme (AHAS II) encoded by ilvG is not expressed in E. coli K-12, unless an ilvO mutation is present (8). However, recent results of Berg et al. (4) suggest that a truncated protein might be produced. AHAS I has recently been purified and is composed of two subunits, which have molecular weights of 60,000 (17, 22) and 11,000 (17). The ilvB gene and a recently identified promoter-distal gene, ilvN, have been shown to encode the AHAS I large and small subunits, respectively (18, 50). AHAS III is also composed of two proteins, which have molecular weights of 60,000 and 18,000 (28) and are encoded by the genes of the ilvIH operon (13,40). A comparison of the polypeptide sequences of AHAS I and AHAS III has shown that both the large subunits and the small subunits of these two isozymes are evolutionarily related to each other (18, 50) and also to the cryptic isozyme, AHAS 11 (18,40,50). Despite the homology b...