Comparative Studies on Induction of Sporulation and Synthesis of Inducible Enzymes in Bacillus subtilis

J. G. Coote
1974 Journal of Bacteriology  
An attempt was made to determine whether sporulation and inducible enzyme synthesis in Bacillus subtilis are controlled by the same mechanism of catabolite repression. By the use of a thymine-requiring strain, it has been shown that, whereas sporulation remained repressed unless chromosome replication proceeded to completion, the induction of the enzymes histidase, sucrase, and a-glucosidase proceeded quite normally in the absence of continued deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis. It is concluded
more » ... t the mechanism for overcoming the repression of sporulation differs qualitatively from that involved in overcoming the repression of inducible enzyme synthesis. Attempts to isolate pleiotropic mutants that would provide additional support for this contention were unsuccessful. A pleiotropic mutant deficient in phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase activity sporulated quite well, whereas a mutant presumed deficient in glutamate synthetase sporulated poorly under all conditions. 1 104 COOTE on May 4, 2020 by guest
doi:10.1128/jb.120.3.1102-1108.1974 fatcat:ymhlaw5x6jgmxb64zzkn753ruq