Abstract
Lankford, C. E. (The University of Texas, Austin), James R. Walker, James B. Reeves, N. H. Nabbut, B. R. Byers, and R. J. Jones. Inoculum-dependent division lag of Bacillus cultures and its relation to an endogenous factor(s) (“schizokinen”). J. Bacteriol. 91:1070–1079. 1966.—When cells of Bacillus megaterium, grown on Brain Heart Infusion Agar, were inoculated into a chemically defined medium, they exhibited a division lag which was an inverse function of inoculum size. The addition of filtrates of cultures from the same medium eliminated the inoculum-dependent component of lag, but not an inoculum-independent residual lag of constant duration. Culture filtrate of B. subtilis var. niger not only eliminated its inoculum-dependent lag but also was required to sustain exponential division. Dose-response and “growth time” bioassays, developed to measure lag-reducing activity of filtrates, demonstrated accumulation of active filtrate factor to a “critical” concentration prior to division initiation. Addition of this concentration to cultures eliminated the inoculum-dependent lag. Accumulation of the factor ceased temporarily at onset of division, but excretion was resumed later during exponential growth. Accumulation of a lag-reducing, cell-associated factor followed a similar course. Chromatographic and bioautographic analyses of culture filtrates of B. megaterium indicated that a single substance was primarily responsible for their activity. Results of dose-response tests for reciprocal activities of filtrates of different Bacillus species and strains suggested production of different factors by some, and of different quantities of similar factors by others. It is proposed that such endogenous factors which are synthesized and accumulate to a population-dependent concentration as a requisite to initiation and maintenance of division be designated as “schizokinens.”
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- DAGLEY S., DAWES E. A., MORRISON G. A. Factors influencing the early phases of growth of Aerobacter aerogenes. J Gen Microbiol. 1950 Sep;4(3):437–447. doi: 10.1099/00221287-4-3-437. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- FIELD M. F., LICHSTEIN H. C. Growth stimulating effect of autoclaved glucose media and its relationship to the CO2 requirement of propionibacteria. J Bacteriol. 1958 Nov;76(5):485–490. doi: 10.1128/jb.76.5.485-490.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LANKFORD C. E., KUSTOFF T. Y., SERGEANT T. P. Chelating agents in growth initiation of Bacillus globigii. J Bacteriol. 1957 Dec;74(6):737–748. doi: 10.1128/jb.74.6.737-748.1957. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LANKFORD C. E., RAMSEY H. H. Stimulation of growth initiation by heat degradation products of glucose. J Bacteriol. 1956 Oct;72(4):511–518. doi: 10.1128/jb.72.4.511-518.1956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MOORE S., STEIN W. H. A modified ninhydrin reagent for the photometric determination of amino acids and related compounds. J Biol Chem. 1954 Dec;211(2):907–913. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- RODE L. J., FOSTER J. W. Ionic and non-ionic compounds in the germination of spores of Bacillus megaterium Texas. Arch Mikrobiol. 1962;43:201–212. doi: 10.1007/BF00406436. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Robertson T. B. Allelocatalytic Effect in Cultures of Colpidium in Hay-Infusion and in Synthetic Media. Biochem J. 1924;18(6):1240–1247. doi: 10.1042/bj0181240. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SERGEANT T. P., LANKFORD C. E., TRAXLER R. W. Initiation of growth of Bacillus species in a chemically defined medium. J Bacteriol. 1957 Dec;74(6):728–736. doi: 10.1128/jb.74.6.728-736.1957. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]