Complementation of an E. coli mutant auxotrophic for the branched-chain an-Lino acids (BCAA)-valine, leucine, and isoleucine-by the ilvG gene (slr2088) of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 indicates that this gene encodes an active alpha-acetohydroxy acid synthase. Differences of response of the recombinants to the addition of the essential amino acids suggested a lower specificity for the initial reaction of the valine/leucine chain than for the isoleucine one. Inactivation of ilvG in Synechocystis led to a leaky phenotype, suggesting a capacity to compensate the auxotrophies by other processes. This observation is discussed in view of the general difficulty of obtaining auxotrophs in cyanobacteria.