Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1974 Nov;120(2):579–582. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.2.579-582.1974

Completed Chromosomes in Thymine-Requiring Bacillus subtilis Spores

Heather Callister 1, R G Wake 1
PMCID: PMC245814  PMID: 4218227

Abstract

Origin:terminus genetic marker ratios (both purA: metB and purA:ilvA) were measured in extracts of spores of Bacillus subtilis strains W23 thy his and 168 thy. For strain W23 thy his, normalized to W23 spore deoxyribonucleic acid, both ratios were equal to unity and were consistent with the presence of only completed chromosomes in the spores. The same ratios in extracts of spores of 168 thy, normalized to strain 168 or the prototroph SB19, were abnormal, i.e., 2.26 ± 0.10 and 0.71 ± 0.06 for purA:metB and purA:ilvA, respectively. These values were unaffected by the extent of extraction of the spore deoxyribonucleic acid, the richness of the medium on which they are formed, and the thymine phenotype. The high ratio for purA:metB is in agreement with the results of earlier workers but, because of the low purA:ilvA ratio, cannot be explained simply by the presence of partially replicated chromosomes in spores of strain 168 thy. Furthermore, purA:leuA in such extracts is 1.01 ± 0.06, consistent with the presence of only completed chromosomes. It is concluded that the abnormal origin:terminus marker ratios are only apparent and result from non-isogenicity between strains 168 thy and 168 in the metB thyB ilvA chromosome region introduced during construction of 168 thy by transformation of strain 168 with W23 thy deoxyribonucleic acid. It is concluded further that the chromosomes of strain 168 thy spores are in a completed form.

Full text

PDF
579

Selected References

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

  1. Ephrati-Elizur E., Borenstein S. Velocity of chromosome replication in thymine-requiring and independent strains of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1971 Apr;106(1):58–64. doi: 10.1128/jb.106.1.58-64.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. 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]
  3. FITZ-JAMES P. C., YOUNG I. E. Comparison of species and yarieties of the genus Bacillus. Structure and nucleic acid content of spores. J Bacteriol. 1959 Dec;78:743–754. doi: 10.1128/jb.78.6.743-754.1959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. O'Sullivan A., Sueoka N. Sequential replication of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome. IV. Genetic mapping by density transfer experiment. J Mol Biol. 1967 Jul 28;27(2):349–368. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(67)90025-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. OISHI M., YOSHIKAWA H., SUEOKA N. SYNCHRONOUS AND DICHOTOMOUS REPLICATIONS OF THE BACILLUS SUBTILIS CHROMOSOME DURING SPORE GERMINATION. Nature. 1964 Dec 12;204:1069–1073. doi: 10.1038/2041069a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Oishi M., Sueoka N. Location of genetic loci of ribosomal RNA on Bacillus subtilis chromosome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1965 Aug;54(2):483–491. doi: 10.1073/pnas.54.2.483. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Sakakibara Y., Tanooka H., Terano H. Defined conditions for DNA extraction from Bacillus subtilis spores. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1970 Feb 18;199(2):548–550. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(70)90104-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Strauss B., Marone R. A heat-labile inhibitor of deoxyribonucleic acid degradation in Bacillus subtilis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1967 Oct 11;29(1):143–147. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(67)90555-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. TAKAHASHI I. TRANSDUCTION OF SPOROGENESIS IN BACILLUS SUBTILIS. J Bacteriol. 1965 Feb;89:294–298. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.2.294-298.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. WOESE C. R., FORRO J. R. Correlations between ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid metabolism during spore germination. J Bacteriol. 1960 Dec;80:811–817. doi: 10.1128/jb.80.6.811-817.1960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Wilson M. C., Farmer J. L., Rothman F. Thymidylate synthesis and aminopterin resistance in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1966 Jul;92(1):186–196. doi: 10.1128/jb.92.1.186-196.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. YOSHIKAWA H., SUEOKA N. Sequential replication of Bacillus subtilis chromosome. I. Comparison of marker frequencies in exponential and stationary growth phases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1963 Apr;49:559–566. doi: 10.1073/pnas.49.4.559. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES