Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1967 May;93(5):1624–1630. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.5.1624-1630.1967

Synchronous Growth and Sporulation of Bacillus megaterium

Hiroshi Imanaka a,1, John R Gillis a,2, Ralph A Slepecky a
PMCID: PMC276658  PMID: 4960931

Abstract

Filtration of late log-phase cultures of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 19213 grown on defined sucrose salts medium (SS) or SS plus glutamate medium (SSG) through nine layers of Whatman no. 40 filter paper in a fritted-glass disc Büchner funnel resulted in filtrates containing cells which showed synchronous growth and proceeded to sporulation. SS cells completed one synchronous division after filtration; sporulation ensued after the cessation of growth. SSG cells completed two synchronous divisions and sporulation occurred during the second division. A high degree of synchrony of vegetative growth of SSG cells was evident by the stepwise pattern of growth, by the doubling of cell numbers at each division, the high division index, and by the rapid formation of sporulation cell types and homogeneity of cell types in the filtered cultures when compared with asynchronous cultures. Because the described system gives both good growth and sporulation synchrony, the method should be useful in delineating early events in sporulation and their regulation.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

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

  1. BARNER H. D., COHEN S. S. Synchronization of division of a thymineless mutant of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1956 Jul;72(1):115–123. doi: 10.1128/jb.72.1.115-123.1956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BURNS V. W. Synchronized cell division and DNA synthesis in a Lactobacillus acidophilus mutant. Science. 1959 Feb 27;129(3348):566–567. doi: 10.1126/science.129.3348.566. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bostock C. J., Donachie W. D., Masters M., Mitchison J. M. Synthesis of enzymes and DNA in synchronous cultures of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Nature. 1966 May 21;210(5038):808–810. doi: 10.1038/210808a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Buono F., Testa R., Lundgren D. G. Physiology of growth and sporulation in Bacillus cereus. I. Effect of glutamic and other amino acids. J Bacteriol. 1966 Jun;91(6):2291–2299. doi: 10.1128/jb.91.6.2291-2299.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. CUMMINGS D. J. MACROMOLECULAR SYNTHESIS DURING SYNCHRONOUS GROWTH OF ESCHERICHIA COLI B/R. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Feb 8;95:341–350. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(65)90498-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Donachie W. D. Control of enzyme steps during the bacterial cell cycle. Nature. 1965 Mar 13;205(976):1084–1086. doi: 10.1038/2051084a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HALVORSON H., GORMAN J., TAURO P., EPSTEIN R., LABERGE M. CONTROL OF ENZYME SYNTHESIS IN SYNCHRONOUS CULTURES OF YEAST. Fed Proc. 1964 Sep-Oct;23:1002–1008. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HELMSTETTER C. E., CUMMINGS D. J. AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR THE SELECTION OF BACTERIAL CELLS AT DIVISION. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1964 Mar 16;82:608–610. doi: 10.1016/0304-4165(64)90453-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HELMSTETTER C. E., CUMMINGS D. J. BACTERIAL SYNCHRONIZATION BY SELECTION OF CELLS AT DIVISION. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1963 Oct;50:767–774. doi: 10.1073/pnas.50.4.767. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KJELDGAARD N. O., MAALOE O., SCHAECHTER M. The transition between different physiological states during balanced growth of Salmonella typhimurium. J Gen Microbiol. 1958 Dec;19(3):607–616. doi: 10.1099/00221287-19-3-607. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LARK K. G., MAALOE O. Nucleic acid synthesis and the division cycle of Salmonella typhimurium. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1956 Sep;21(3):448–458. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(56)90181-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. MARTIN H. H., FOSTER J. W. Biosynthesis of dipicolinic acid in Bacillus megaterium. J Bacteriol. 1958 Aug;76(2):167–178. doi: 10.1128/jb.76.2.167-178.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MARUYAMA Y., YANAGITA T. Physical methods for obtaining synchronous culture of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1956 May;71(5):542–546. doi: 10.1128/jb.71.5.542-546.1956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MILLET J., AUBERT J. P. [The metabolism of glutamic acid in the course of sporulation in Bacillus megaterium]. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1960 Feb;98:282–290. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. SIEGENTHALER P. A., HERMIER J. NATURE DES SYST'EMES ENZYMATIQUES RESPONSABLES DE L'UTILISATION DES ACIDES AMIN'ES SOURCES D'AZOTE CHEZ BACILLUS SUBTILIS. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1964 Feb;106:194–213. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. SLEPECKY R., FOSTER J. W. Alterations in metal content of spores of Bacillus megaterium and the effect on some spore properties. J Bacteriol. 1959 Jul;78(1):117–123. doi: 10.1128/jb.78.1.117-123.1959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Schaeffer P., Millet J., Aubert J. P. Catabolic repression of bacterial sporulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1965 Sep;54(3):704–711. doi: 10.1073/pnas.54.3.704. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES