Skip to main content
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1979 Feb;76(2):842–846. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.2.842

Apparent dependence of sporulation on synthesis of highly phosphorylated nucleotides in Bacillus subtilis

H J Rhaese 1, R Groscurth 1
PMCID: PMC383069  PMID: 16592624

Abstract

Bacillus subtilis contains an enzyme that synthesizes the highly phosphorylated nucleotide adenosine 5′,3′(2′)-bis(triphosphate), abbreviated p3Ap3. This enzyme can be demonstrated to be present in the cytoplasmic membrane of B. subtilis at all stages of growth and development. During vegetative growth its enzymatic activity is inhibited by phosphorylated metabolites of energy-rich carbon sources, as was shown with the aid of conditional sporulation mutants. The finding that a temperature-sensitive sporulation mutant with a mutation in the spoOF gene, an early sporulation gene, shows a temperature-sensitive activity of p3Ap3-synthetase indicates that p3Ap3 plays an important role in sporulation, probably initiation of sporulation.

Keywords: adenosine-5′,3′(2′)-bis(triphosphate) synthetase; inhibition by phosphorylated carbon metabolites; temperature-sensitive mutants; electron microscopy; sensor model of initiation of differentiation

Full text

PDF
844

Selected References

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

  1. Doi R. H. Genetic control of sporulation. Annu Rev Genet. 1977;11:29–48. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.11.120177.000333. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fortnagel P., Freese E. Inhibition of aconitase by chelation of transition metals causing inhibition of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. J Biol Chem. 1968 Oct 25;243(20):5289–5295. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. 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]
  4. Knaysi G. THE ENDOSPORE OF BACTERIA. Bacteriol Rev. 1948 Mar;12(1):19–77. doi: 10.1128/br.12.1.19-77.1948. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Rhaese H. J., Dichtelmüller H., Grade R. Studies on the control of development. Accumulation of guanosine tetraphosphate and pentaphosphate in response to inhibition of protein synthesis in Bacillus subtilis. Eur J Biochem. 1975 Aug 15;56(2):385–392. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1975.tb02244.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Rhaese H. J., Grade R., Dichtelmüller H. Studies on the control of development. Correlation of initiucleotides in Bacillus subtilis. Eur J Biochem. 1976 Apr 15;64(1):205–213. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1976.tb10289.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Rhaese H. J., Groscurth R. Control of development: role of regulatory nucleotides synthesized by membranes of Bacillus subtilis in initiation of sporulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Feb;73(2):331–335. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.2.331. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Rhaese H. J., Hoch J. A., Groscurth R. Studies on the control of development: isolation of Bacillus subtilis mutants blocked early in sporulation and defective in synthesis of highly phosphorylated nucleotides. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Mar;74(3):1125–1129. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.3.1125. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Saier M. H., Jr, Feucht B. U. Coordinate regulation of adenylate cyclase and carbohydrate permeases by the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system in Salmonella typhimurium. J Biol Chem. 1975 Sep 10;250(17):7078–7080. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Slepecky R. A., Law J. H. SYNTHESIS AND DEGRADATION OF POLY-beta-HYDROXYBUTYRIC ACID IN CONNECTION WITH SPORULATION OF BACILLUS MEGATERIUM. J Bacteriol. 1961 Jul;82(1):37–42. doi: 10.1128/jb.82.1.37-42.1961. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. TINELLI R. Etude de la biochimie de la sporulation chez Bacillus megaterium. I. Composition des spores obtenues par carence des différents substrats carbonés. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1955 Feb;88(2):212–226. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. TINELLI R. Etude de la biochimie de la sporulation chez Bacillus megaterium. II. Modifications biochimiques et échanges gazeux accompagnant la sporulation provoquée par carence de glucose. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1955 Mar;88(3):364–375. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES