Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1976 Mar;125(3):1127–1138. doi: 10.1128/jb.125.3.1127-1138.1976

Turnover and spreading of old wall during surface growth of Bacillus subtilis.

H M Pooley
PMCID: PMC236192  PMID: 815238

Abstract

The steady-state concentration of cell wall turnover products in the medium of Bacillus subtilis 168 growing exponentially on a casein hydrolysate-supplemented medium is equivalent to an overall rate of turnover of less than 10% per generation. After transfer of a steady-labeled culture to nonradioactive medium, the rate of release of labeled turnover products increased exponentially for up to two generations. The rate of turnover finally attained by this culture reached an apparently first-order rate of about 50% per generation. The addition of soluble autolytic activity to growing cultures of a mutant possessing a reduced rate of wall turnover resulted in a marked stimulation in the rate of solubilization of the cell wall fraction. The increased rate of solubilization produced was proportional to the concentration of added enzyme and remained constant until less than 20% of the wall originally present was left. Autolytic activity added under these conditions was bound entirely to wall at least one generation old. The results are interpreted in terms of a model for cell wall growth in which wall two or more generations old covers a total surface area at least four times larger than that occupied at the time of synthesis, forming a shallow outer layer (overlying newer wall) from which all turnover takes place. The model is discussed in relation to previous attempts to determine the pattern of surface expansion in bacilli.

Full text

PDF
1127

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BATES C. J., PASTERNAK C. A. THE INCORPORATION OF LABELLED AMINO SUGARS BY BACILLUS SUBTILIS. Biochem J. 1965 Jul;96:155–158. doi: 10.1042/bj0960155. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Boothby D., Daneo-Moore L., Higgins M. L., Coyette J., Shockman G. D. Turnover of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycans. J Biol Chem. 1973 Mar 25;248(6):2161–2169. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brown W. C., Young F. E. Dynamic interactions between cell wall polymers, extracellular proteases and autolytic enzymes. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1970 Feb 20;38(4):564–568. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(70)90618-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CHALOUPKA J., KRECKOVA P., RIHOVA L. The mucopeptide turnover in the cell walls of growing cultures of Bacillus megaterium KM. Experientia. 1962 Aug 15;18:362–363. doi: 10.1007/BF02172250. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. CHUNG K. L., HAWIRKO R. Z., ISAAC P. K. CELL WALL REPLICATION. I. CELL WALL GROWTH OF BACILLUS CEREUS AND BACILLUS MEGATERIUM. Can J Microbiol. 1964 Feb;10:43–48. doi: 10.1139/m64-007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chaloupka J. Synthesis and degradation of surface structures by growing and non-growing Bacillus megaterium. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 1967;12(3):264–273. doi: 10.1007/BF02868742. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chung K. L. Autoradiographic studies of bacterial cell wall replication. I. Cell wall growth of Bacillus cereus in the presence of chloramphenicol. Can J Microbiol. 1967 Apr;13(4):341–350. doi: 10.1139/m67-046. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Duckworth M., Archibald A. R., Baddiley J. The location of N-acetylgalactosamine in the walls of Bacillus subtilis 168. Biochem J. 1972 Dec;130(3):691–696. doi: 10.1042/bj1300691. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. FARMER J. L., ROTHMAN F. TRANSFORMABLE THYMINE-REQUIRING MUTANT OF BACILLUS SUBTILS. J Bacteriol. 1965 Jan;89:262–263. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.1.262-263.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Frehel C., Beaufils A. M., Ryter A. Etude au microscope électronique de la croissance de la paroi chez B. subtilis et B. megaterium. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1971 Aug;121(2):139–148. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Garrett A. J. The effect of magnesium ion deprivation on the synthesis of mucopeptide and its precursors in Bacillus subtilis. Biochem J. 1969 Nov;115(3):419–430. doi: 10.1042/bj1150419. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Higgins M. L., Shockman G. D. Procaryotic cell division with respect to wall and membranes. CRC Crit Rev Microbiol. 1971 May;1(1):29–72. doi: 10.3109/10408417109104477. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hughes R. C., Pavlik J. G., Rogers H. J., Tanner P. J. Organization of polymers in the cell walls of some bacilli. Nature. 1968 Aug 10;219(5154):642–644. doi: 10.1038/219642a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hughes R. C., Stokes E. Cell wall growth in Bacillus licheniformis followed by immunofluorescence with mucopeptide-specific antiserum. J Bacteriol. 1971 May;106(2):694–696. doi: 10.1128/jb.106.2.694-696.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. JANCZURA E., PERKINS H. R., ROGERS H. J. Teichuronic acid: a mucopolysaccharide present in wall preparations from vegetative cells of Bacillus subtilis. Biochem J. 1961 Jul;80:82–93. doi: 10.1042/bj0800082. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mauck J., Chan L., Glaser L. Turnover of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria. J Biol Chem. 1971 Mar 25;246(6):1820–1827. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mauck J., Chan L., Glaser L., Williamson J. Mode of cell wall growth of Bacillus megaterium. J Bacteriol. 1972 Jan;109(1):373–378. doi: 10.1128/jb.109.1.373-378.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mauck J., Glaser L. On the mode of in vivo assembly of the cell wall of Bacillus subtilis. J Biol Chem. 1972 Feb 25;247(4):1180–1187. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mendelson N. H., Reeve J. N. Growth of the Bacillus subtilis cell surface. Nat New Biol. 1973 May 9;243(123):62–64. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rogers H. J., Forsberg C. W. Role of autolysins in the killing of bacteria by some bactericidal antibiotics. J Bacteriol. 1971 Dec;108(3):1235–1243. doi: 10.1128/jb.108.3.1235-1243.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Rogers H. J. Peptidoglycans (mucopeptides): structure, function, and variations. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1974 May 10;235(0):29–51. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1974.tb43255.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Spizizen J. TRANSFORMATION OF BIOCHEMICALLY DEFICIENT STRAINS OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS BY DEOXYRIBONUCLEATE. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1958 Oct 15;44(10):1072–1078. doi: 10.1073/pnas.44.10.1072. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. WEIDEL W., FRANK H., MARTIN H. H. The rigid layer of the cell wall of Escherichia coli strain B. J Gen Microbiol. 1960 Feb;22:158–166. doi: 10.1099/00221287-22-1-158. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Ward J. B. The chain length of the glycans in bacterial cell walls. Biochem J. 1973 Jun;133(2):395–398. doi: 10.1042/bj1330395. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Young F. E. Autolytic enzyme associated with cell walls of Bacillus subtilis. J Biol Chem. 1966 Aug 10;241(15):3462–3467. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Young F. E. Variation in the chemical composition of the cell walls of Bacillus subtilis during growth in different media. Nature. 1965 Jul 3;207(992):104–105. doi: 10.1038/207104b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES