Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1962 Mar;83(3):515–522. doi: 10.1128/jb.83.3.515-522.1962

STUDIES ON IMMUNITY IN ANTHRAX IX.

Effect of Variations in Cultural Conditions on Elaboration of Protective Antigen by Strains of Bacillus anthracis

George G Wright a, Milton Puziss a, W Brock Neely a,1
PMCID: PMC279305  PMID: 14008433

Abstract

Wright, George G. (Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md.), Milton Puziss, and W. Brook Neely. Studies on immunity in anthrax. IX. Effect of variation in cultural conditions on elaboration of protective antigen by strains of Bacillus anthracis. J. Bacteriol. 83:515–522. 1962.—Nonproteolytic and nonencapsulated avirulent mutants were isolated from six virulent strains of Bacillus anthracis and tested for elaboration of protective antigen in the chemically defined medium developed previously (599 medium). Initially the strains grew rather slowly in 599 medium; serial transfer in the medium increased the rate of growth but reduced the elaboration of antigen. Two of the strains tended to revert to the encapsulated form during serial passage in 599 medium. Modifications in the medium and cultural conditions were studied in an attempt to obtain improved growth; the most significant alterations were the addition of adenosine and l-alanine, reduction in the concentration of ferrous sulfate, and growth under anaerobic conditions with agitation. Study of amino acid utilization in the medium revealed that the concentrations of certain amino acids could be reduced. These modifications, together with substitution of more productive strains, resulted in an approximately fivefold increase in elaboration of protective antigen, and greatly simplified production of the antigen on a practical scale. Omission of bicarbonate from the medium had no significant influence on utilization of amino acids.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

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

  1. AUERBACH S., WRIGHT G. G. Studies on immunity in anthrax. VI. Immunizing activity of protective antigen against various strains of Bacillus anthracis. J Immunol. 1955 Aug;75(2):129–133. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BELTON F. C., STRANGE R. E. Studies on a protective antigen produced in vitro from Bacillus anthracis: medium and methods of production. Br J Exp Pathol. 1954 Apr;35(2):144–152. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. HILLS G. M. Chemical factors in the germination of spore-bearing aerobes; the effects of amino acids on the germination of Bacillus anthracis, with some observations on the relation of optical form to biological activity. Biochem J. 1949;45(3):363–370. doi: 10.1042/bj0450363. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. MOORE S., STEIN W. H. Procedures for the chromatographic determination of amino acids on four per cent cross-linked sulfonated polystyrene resins. J Biol Chem. 1954 Dec;211(2):893–906. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. PUZISS M., WRIGHT G. G. Studies on immunity in anthrax. IV. Factors influencing elaboration of the protective antigen of bacillus antracis in chemically defined media. J Bacteriol. 1954 Oct;68(4):474–482. doi: 10.1128/jb.68.4.474-482.1954. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. PUZISS M., WRIGHT G. G. Studies on immunity in anthrax. VII. Carbohydrate metabolism of Bacillus anthracis in relation to elaboration of protective antigen. J Bacteriol. 1959 Jul;78(1):137–145. doi: 10.1128/jb.78.1.137-145.1959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. THORNE C. B., BELTON F. C. An agar-diffusion method for titrating Bacillus anthracis immunizing antigen and its application to a study of antigen production. J Gen Microbiol. 1957 Oct;17(2):505–516. doi: 10.1099/00221287-17-2-505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. THORNE C. B., MOLNAR D. M. D-Amino acid transamination in bacillus anthracis. J Bacteriol. 1955 Oct;70(4):420–426. doi: 10.1128/jb.70.4.420-426.1955. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. WRIGHT G. G., HEDBERG M. A., FEINBERG R. J. Studies on immunity in anthrax. II. In vitro elaboration of protective antigen by non-proteolytic mutants of Bacillus anthracis. J Exp Med. 1951 Jun;93(6):523–527. doi: 10.1084/jem.93.6.523. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. WRIGHT G. G., HEDBERG M. A., SLEIN J. B. Studies on immunity in anthrax. III. Elaboration of protective antigen in a chemically defined, non-protein medium. J Immunol. 1954 Apr;72(4):263–269. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. WRIGHT G. G., PUZISS M. Elaboration of protective antigen of Bacillus anthracis under anaerobic conditions. Nature. 1957 May 4;179(4566):916–917. doi: 10.1038/179916a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES