Itaconate is known as a potent inhibitor of isocitrate lyase. Unexpectedly, itaconate was a strong inhibitor of acetate and propionate assimilation in isocitrate lyase-negative purple non-sulfur bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum. It was shown that in cell extracts of R. rubrum itaconate inhibited propionyl-CoA carboxylase (PCC) activity. The participation of PCC in propionate assimilation in R. rubrum is well-documented, but the inhibition of acetate assimilation suggests that PCC is also involved in acetate metabolism. PCC is one of the enzymes of the citramalate cycle, the anaplerotic pathway proposed for R. rubrum as a substitute for the glyoxylate cycle. These results provide further support for the hypothesis of the occurrence of the citramalate cycle in R. rubrum. PCC from other isocitrate lyase-negative phototrophs; Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Phaeospirillum fulvum, was not inhibited by itaconate.