Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1975 Jun;122(3):1322–1338. doi: 10.1128/jb.122.3.1322-1338.1975

Ultrastructural studies of sporulation in Bacillus sphaericus.

S C Holt, J J Gauther, D J Tipper
PMCID: PMC246190  PMID: 1097399

Abstract

Spore septum formation in Bacillus sphaericus 9602 occurs 2 h after the end of exponential growth at one end of the vegetative cell, which retains a uniform diameter. The apparently rigid spore septum contains an inner cell wall layer which disappears when the sporulation septum "bulges" into the mother cell cytoplasm. This process occurs simultaneously with terminal swelling at the end of the cell containing the spore septum. It is suggested that the inner cell wall layer is peptidoglycan and that its dissolution and the terminal swelling are consequences of a localized autolysis. Engulfment of the forespore by membrane proliferation results in the production of a forespore surrounded by two flexible, closely apposed membranes. These membranes appear to become more rigid as a peptidoglycan-like layer appears between them, concomitant with the condensation of the forespore nucleoid into a crescent-shaped structure. After nuclear condensation, visible development of distinct cortex, primordial cell wall, and spore coat layers begin, and the forespore cytoplasm assumes an appearance similar to that of a refractile spore. The spore coats consist of an amorphous inner layer, a lamellar midlayer, and a structured outer layer. As cortex synthesis and spore coat assembly continue, exosporium development commences close to that portion of the mother cell plasma membrane which surrounds the forespore. The exosporium is lamellar and in tangential section is seen to have a hexagonal arrangement of subunits. The timing of these morphological events has the expected correlation with the appearance of unique enzyme activites required for cortex synthesis.

Full text

PDF
1324

Images in this article

1326Image
on p.1326
1328Image
on p.1328
1330Image
on p.1330
1332Image
on p.1332
1334Image
on p.1334
1336Image
on p.1336

Selected References

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

  1. Aronson A. I., Fitz-James P. C. Biosynthesis of bacterial spore coats. J Mol Biol. 1968 Apr 14;33(1):199–212. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90288-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Balassa G., Yamamoto T. Biochemical genetics of bacterial sporulation. 3. Correlation between morphological and biochemical properties of sporulation mutants. Mol Gen Genet. 1970;108(1):1–22. doi: 10.1007/BF00343179. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Coote J. G., Mandelstam J. Use of constructed double mutants for determining the temporal order of expression of sporulation genes in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1973 Jun;114(3):1254–1263. doi: 10.1128/jb.114.3.1254-1263.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. GERHARDT P., RIBI E. ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE EXOSPORIUM ENVELOPING SPORES OF BACILLUS CEREUS. J Bacteriol. 1964 Dec;88:1774–1789. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.6.1774-1789.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hitchins A. D., Slepecky R. A. Antibiotic inhibition of the septation stage in sporulation of Bacillus megaterium. J Bacteriol. 1969 Mar;97(3):1513–1515. doi: 10.1128/jb.97.3.1513-1515.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hitchins A. D., Slepecky R. A. Bacterial sporulation as a modified procaryotic cell division. Nature. 1969 Aug 23;223(5208):804–807. doi: 10.1038/223804a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hodgkiss W., Ordal Z. J., Cann D. C. The morphology and ultrastructure of the spore and exosporium of some Clostridium species. J Gen Microbiol. 1967 May;47(2):213–225. doi: 10.1099/00221287-47-2-213. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Holt S. C., Leadbetter E. R. Comparative ultrastructure of selected aerobic spore-forming bacteria: a freeze-etching study. Bacteriol Rev. 1969 Jun;33(2):346–378. doi: 10.1128/br.33.2.346-378.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Howard L., Tipper D. J. A polypeptide bacteriophage receptor: modified cell wall protein subunits in bacteriophage-resistant mutants of Bacillus sphaericus strain P-1. J Bacteriol. 1973 Mar;113(3):1491–1504. doi: 10.1128/jb.113.3.1491-1504.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hungerer K. D., Tipper D. J. Cell wall polymers of Bacillus sphaericus 9602. I. Structure of the vegetative cell wall peptidoglycan. Biochemistry. 1969 Sep;8(9):3577–3587. doi: 10.1021/bi00837a013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nermut M. V., Murray R. G. Ultrastructure of the cell wall of Bacillus polymyxa. J Bacteriol. 1967 Jun;93(6):1949–1965. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.6.1949-1965.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. O Y. K., Freese E. B., Freese E. Abnormal septation and inhibition of sporulation by accumulation of L- -glycerophosphate in Bacillus subtilis mutants. J Bacteriol. 1973 Feb;113(2):1034–1045. doi: 10.1128/jb.113.2.1034-1045.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ohye D. F., Murrell W. G. Exosporium and spore coat formation in Bacillus cereus T. J Bacteriol. 1973 Sep;115(3):1179–1190. doi: 10.1128/jb.115.3.1179-1190.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ryter A., Schaeffer P., Ionesco H. Classification cytologique, par leur stade de blocage, des mutants de sporulation de Bacillus subtilis Marburg. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1966 Mar;110(3):305–315. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Schleifer K. H., Kandler O. Peptidoglycan types of bacterial cell walls and their taxonomic implications. Bacteriol Rev. 1972 Dec;36(4):407–477. doi: 10.1128/br.36.4.407-477.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Stevenson K. E., Vaughn R. H. Exosporium formation in sporulating cells of Clostridium botulinum 78A. J Bacteriol. 1972 Oct;112(1):618–621. doi: 10.1128/jb.112.1.618-621.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Tipper D. J., Pratt I. Cell wall polymers of Bacillus sphaericus 9602. II. Synthesis of the first enzyme unique to cortex synthesis during sporulation. J Bacteriol. 1970 Aug;103(2):305–317. doi: 10.1128/jb.103.2.305-317.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Walker P. D. Symposium on bacterial spores: I. Cytology of spore formation and germination. J Appl Bacteriol. 1970 Mar;33(1):1–12. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1970.tb05229.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Warth A. D., Strominger J. L. Structure of the peptidoglycan from spores of Bacillus subtilis. Biochemistry. 1972 Apr 11;11(8):1389–1396. doi: 10.1021/bi00758a010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES