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The effect of penicillin on competence in Bacillus subtilis cultures growing in chemostat at different doubling times

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Summary

The relationships between penicillin-resistance and competence at different doubling-times have been studied in a chemostat. Both subinhibitory and lethal levels of drug have a differential effect on competent fraction and cell viability. Transformation frequency was rather increased in the presence of inhibitory doses of penicillin when partially affected cells were protected from lysis by using an isotonic medium; however, transformation frequency decreases when protoplasts were detected.

The influence of the doubling-time in the ability of the recipient population to undergo transformation was confirmed. Our results, in accordance with that previously found, might suggest that competence in log phase and competence in the stationary phase could differ in some important aspects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto “Jaime Ferrán” de Microbiología del C.S.I.C., Madrid, Spain

    Rubens López, Teresa Pérez Ureña, Manuel Espinosa & Antonio Portolés

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  1. Rubens López
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  2. Teresa Pérez Ureña
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  3. Manuel Espinosa
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  4. Antonio Portolés
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López, R., Ureña, T.P., Espinosa, M. et al. The effect of penicillin on competence in Bacillus subtilis cultures growing in chemostat at different doubling times. Archiv. Mikrobiol. 82, 206–212 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412192

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412192

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