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Interactions between gramicidin S and its producer,Bacillus brevis

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Journal of Industrial Microbiology

Abstract

Gramicidin S (GS) inhibition of germination outgrowth ofBacillus brevis spores was reversed completely by a short pretreatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate, moderately by ethanol or by incubation at pH 10 but not by incubation at pH 4. Of five metal ions tested (Na+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Ca2+), only Ca2+ reversed GS inhibition. When Ca2+ (but not the other four metal ions) was added to the growth medium, there was a considerable portion of the biosynthesized GS found in the extracellular fluid. These findings are interpreted in terms of the binding of GS to the external layers of theB. brevis spore.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fermentation Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 02139, Cambridge, MA, USA

    T Azuma & A L Demain

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  1. T Azuma
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  2. A L Demain
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Azuma, T., Demain, A.L. Interactions between gramicidin S and its producer,Bacillus brevis . Journal of Industrial Microbiology 17, 56–61 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01570150

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01570150

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