BIPOLARITY OF INFORMATION TRANSFER FROM THE SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM CHROMOSOME

Apparently the leucine and tryptophan gene clusters are polarized in opposite directions on the Salmonella chromosome. Either the direction of polarity is independently determined for each operon or the bacterial chromosome may consist of more than one multi-operon unit of DNA, each such unit determining the direction of polarity of its constituent genes. Each hypothesis results in a different prediction concerning the distribution of operon polarity directions on the chromosome and the functional status of chromosomal inversions.

EFFECT OF SPORULATION MEDIUM ON HEAT RESISTANCE, CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, AND GERMINATION OF BACILLUS MEGATERIUM SPORES

Levinson, Hillel S. (U.S. Army Natick Laboratories, Natick, Mass.), and Mildred T. Hyatt. Effect of sporulation medium on heat resistance, chemical composition, and germination of Bacillus megaterium spores. J. Bacteriol. 87:876-886. 1964.-Bacillus megaterium spores, grown on variously supplemented media, had varying concentrations of P, Ca, Mn, or dipicolinic acid. Supplementation with CaCl(2) yielded spores with increased heat resistance; addition of l-glutamate, l-proline, or increase of the phosphate concentration yielded spores with reduced heat resistance. Germination characteristics depended on both the sporulation medium and the germinant (glucose, l-alanine, l-leucine, or KNO(3)); pronounced differences were demonstrable with glucose and l-alanine, which trigger germination via different metabolic pathways. An increase in CaCl(2) during sporulation yielded spores with increased germination in glucose but not in l-alanine. Germination in l-alanine was optimal with spores produced on media containing 0.1 mm MnCl(2), but germination of such spores was minimal in glucose. An increase in the sporulation medium phosphate decreased the initial germination rate in glucose, but not in l-alanine. Spores produced in CaCl(2)-supplemented media had increased heat-activation requirements (increased dormancy) for germination induced by l-alanine, and decreased heat-shock requirements for glucose-induced germination. An increase of sporulation phosphate yielded spores with reduced dormancy for germination induced by l-alanine, but with unchanged dormancy on the other germinants. Spores produced with added l-glutamate had reduced dormancy for glucose-induced germination, and increased dormancy for germination induced by l-alanine. Addition of CaCl(2) or l-glutamate to the sporulation medium yielded spores with increased sensitivity to "ionic germination" (with KI). Spores from synthetic medium were incapacitated for full postgerminative development, as shown by repression of the changes in oxygen-uptake rate which accompany normal cell division.

LINKAGE RELATIONSHIPS OF GENES CONTROLLING ISOLEUCINE, VALINE, AND LEUCINE BIOSYNTHESIS IN BACILLUS SUBTILIS

Barat, M. (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Gif-sur-Yvette, Seine et Oise, France), C. Anagnostopoulos, and A.-M. Schneider. Linkage relationships of genes controlling isoleucine, valine, and leucine biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol.90:357-369. 1965.-In Bacillus subtilis, the genetic loci controlling isoleucine and valine biosynthesis are not all clustered. Some of them were located on two distinct transforming deoxyribonucleic acid "molecules." One of these molecules (the "ileilva(2-4)-met segment") carries the threonine deaminase and the dihydroxy acid dehydrase loci linked to methionine markers. The other (the "ilva(1-3)-leu segment") bears the reductoisomerase locus and one or more loci involved in leucine synthesis. A phenylalanine marker was also shown to be weakly linked to this latter group. In transduction mediated by phage PBS-1, these groups are transferred jointly with other gene clusters. The phage appears to convey chromosome fragments considerably longer than the transforming "molecules." The genetic maps of both the above segments were extended by transduction. Some groups previously studied by transformation can be placed in the following linear order: the ile-ilva(2-4)-met segment, the cluster of loci involved in aromatic amino acid synthesis (try segment), and a lysine locus. An arginine locus is cotransduced with the phe-ilva(1-2)-leu segment. Recombination frequencies between linked markers are much lower in transduction by this phage than in transformation.

THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF GRAMICIDIN S IN A CELL-FREE SYSTEM

1. A cell-free system prepared from Bacillus brevis cells, harvested in the late phase of growth and consisting of the 11000g supernatant, has been shown to incorporate into gramicidin S the five constituent amino acids added in labelled form. The results are consistent with complete synthesis and not merely a completion of pre-existing intermediate peptides. 2. The incorporation of (14)C-labelled amino acids by the 11000g supernatant into gramicidin S requires an energy source. Omission of phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate kinase from the incubation mixture prevents incorporation into gramicidin S. The cell-free system incorporates [(14)C]-leucine, -proline and -phenylalanine over a period of 4hr. With [(14)C]leucine, incorporation into gramicidin S takes place in the range pH6-9 with maximum incorporation at pH7.0. High concentrations of chloramphenicol or puromycin decreased the incorporation into gramicidin S by only about 20%. 3. The 50000g supernatant exhibited no decrease in ability of incorporating [(14)C]valine into gramicidin S as compared with the 11000g supernatant. About 40% of the incorporating ability remained in the 105000g supernatant after 3hr. centrifugation. When recombining the 105000g sediment with the 105000g supernatant, some increase in incorporation over that obtained with the supernatant alone was obtained. The findings tend to support the view that gramicidin S is synthesized in a different manner from that of proteins.