Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1972 Mar;109(3):1210–1220. doi: 10.1128/jb.109.3.1210-1220.1972

Morphokinetic Reaction of Streptococcus faecalis (ATCC 9790) Cells to the Specific Inhibition of Macromolecular Synthesis: Nucleoid Condensation on the Inhibition of Protein Synthesis1

Lolita Daneo-Moore a, Michael L Higgins a
PMCID: PMC247345  PMID: 4110925

Abstract

In glutaraldehyde-prefixed exponential-phase cells of Streptococcus faecalis the nucleoid is “frozen” in a dispersed configuration. Exposure of exponential-phase cells to threonine starvation or to antibiotics inhibiting protein synthesis resulted in progressive condensation of nucleoid fibrils producing an expanding central nucleoid zone or pool. The condensation of the nucleoid was observed to occur at a rate directly proportional to the rate of inhibition of protein synthesis. However, the extent of nucleoid condensation depended on continuing deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis. Significantly less nucleoid condensation occurred when cells were inhibited in deoxyribonucleic acid and protein synthesis than when cells were inhibited in protein synthesis alone. These results suggest a model in which, during nucleoid replication, the chromosome fibrils are normally maintained in a dispersed state by the active agents of transcription-translation, such as ribonucleic acid polymerase molecules and ribosomes.

Full text

PDF
1214

Images in this article

1214Image
on p.1214
1215Image
on p.1215

Selected References

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

  1. Baker R. F., Yanofsky C. The periodicity of RNA polymerase initiations: a new regulatory feature of transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 May;60(1):313–320. doi: 10.1073/pnas.60.1.313. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bremer H., Yuan D. RNA chain growth-rate in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1968 Dec 14;38(2):163–180. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90404-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. HURWITZ J., FURTH J. J., MALAMY M., ALEXANDER M. The role of deoxyribonucleic acid in ribonucleic acid synthesis. III. The inhibition of the enzymatic synthesis of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid by actinomycin D and proflavin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1962 Jul 15;48:1222–1230. doi: 10.1073/pnas.48.7.1222. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Higgins M. L., Pooley H. M., Shockman G. D. Reinitiation of cell wall growth after threonine starvation of Streptococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol. 1971 Mar;105(3):1175–1183. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.3.1175-1183.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Higgins M. L., Shockman G. D. Early changes in the ultrastructure of Streptococcus faecalis after amino acid starvation. J Bacteriol. 1970 Jul;103(1):244–253. doi: 10.1128/jb.103.1.244-253.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. 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]
  7. KELLENBERGER E., RYTER A., SECHAUD J. Electron microscope study of DNA-containing plasms. II. Vegetative and mature phage DNA as compared with normal bacterial nucleoids in different physiological states. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1958 Nov 25;4(6):671–678. doi: 10.1083/jcb.4.6.671. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. KEPES A. KINETICS OF INDUCED ENZYME SYNTHESIS. DETERMINATION OF THE MEAN LIFE OF GALACTOSIDASE-SPECIFIC MESSENGER RNA. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Oct 15;76:293–309. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. LUFT J. H. Improvements in epoxy resin embedding methods. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1961 Feb;9:409–414. doi: 10.1083/jcb.9.2.409. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MASON D. J., POWELSON D. M. Nuclear division as observed in live bacteria by a new technique. J Bacteriol. 1956 Apr;71(4):474–479. doi: 10.1128/jb.71.4.474-479.1956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Margaretten W., Morgan C., Rosenkranz H. S., Rose H. M. Effect of hydroxyurea on virus development. I. Electron microscopic study of the effect on the development of bacteriophage T4. J Bacteriol. 1966 Feb;91(2):823–833. doi: 10.1128/jb.91.2.823-833.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Miller O. L., Jr, Hamkalo B. A., Thomas C. A., Jr Visualization of bacterial genes in action. Science. 1970 Jul 24;169(3943):392–395. doi: 10.1126/science.169.3943.392. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Morgan C., Rosenkranz H. S., Carr H. S., Rose H. M. Electron microscopy of chloramphenicol-treated Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1967 Jun;93(6):1987–2002. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.6.1987-2002.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. REICH E. ACTINOMYCIN: CORRELATION OF STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF ITS COMPLEXES WITH PURINES AND DNA. Science. 1964 Feb 14;143(3607):684–689. doi: 10.1126/science.143.3607.684. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Remsen C. C. Fine structure of the mesosome and nucleoid in frozen-etched Bacillus subtilis. Arch Mikrobiol. 1968;61(1):40–47. doi: 10.1007/BF00704290. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Roth G. S., Shockman G. D., Daneo-Moore L. Balanced macromolecular biosynthesis in "protoplasts" of Streptococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol. 1971 Mar;105(3):710–717. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.3.710-717.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. SADLER J. R., NOVICK A. THE PROPERTIES OF REPRESSOR AND THE KINETICS OF ITS ACTION. J Mol Biol. 1965 Jun;12:305–327. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(65)80255-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Stonington O. G., Pettijohn D. E. The folded genome of Escherichia coli isolated in a protein-DNA-RNA complex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Jan;68(1):6–9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.1.6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Ziegler R. J., Daneo-Moore L. Effects of essential amino acid starvation in Streptococcus faecalis: structural change in the 50S ribosomal subunit. J Bacteriol. 1971 Jan;105(1):190–199. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.1.190-199.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES