Abstract
The effects of gamma-irradiation on glucose oxidase activity were studied inBacillus cereus T spores. Radiation was found to activate oxidase in native spores. This activation was greatly enhanced when irradiated spores were subsequently heat-activated. Although activation by heat alone was 1.6 times that by radiation alone, the combined treatment with both radiation and heating resulted in a 12-fold enhancement of oxidase activity over that obtainable by optimum heat activation. Activation by combined treatment of gamma-rays and heat depended on the presence of exchangeable calcium during heating but not during irradiation.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Church, B. D., Halvorson, H. O. 1956. Effect of heating and aging on germination and glucose oxidation of spores of aerobic bacilli. Bacteriological Proceedings13:45–46.
Church, B. D., Halvorson, H. O. 1957. Intermediate metabolism of aerobic spores. I. Activation of glucose oxidation in spores ofBacillus cereus var.terminalis. Journal of Bacteriology73:470–476.
Clouston, J. G., Willis, P. A. 1969. Initiation of germination and inactivation ofBacillus pumilus spores by hydrostatic pressure. Journal of Bacteriology97:684–690.
DeMet, E. M., Grecz, N. 1977. Heat activation of γ-irradiated spors ofB. cereus T. Abstract Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology1977:128.
Freese, E., Cashel, M. 1965. Initial stages of germination, pp. 144–151. In: Campbell L. L., Halvorson H. O. (eds.), Spores III. Ann Arbor: American Society of Microbiology.
Grecz, N., Tang, T., Frank, H. A. 1973. Photoprotection by dipicolinate against inactivation of bacterial spores with ultraviolet light. Journal of Bacteriology113:1058–1060.
Gould, G. W., Hitchins, A. D. 1963. Sensitization of bacterial spores to lysozyme and to hydrogen peroxide with agents which rupture disulfide bonds. Journal of General Microbiology33:413–423.
Gould, G. W., Ordal, Z. J. 1968. Activation ofBacillus cereus spores by γ-radiation. Journal of General Microbiology50:77–84.
Halvorson, H. O. 1958. The physiology of the bacterial spore. Fulbright lectures, The Technical University of Norway, Trondheim.
Halvorson, H. O., Doi, R., Church, B. D. 1958. Dormancy of bacterial endospores. Regulation of electron transport by dipicolinic acid. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America44:1171–1180.
Keynan, A., Evenchik, Z. 1969. Activation, pp. 359–396. In: Gould, G. W., Hurst, A. (eds.), The bacterial spore. New York: Academic Press.
Keynan, A., Evenchik, Z., Halvorson, H. O., Hastings, J. W. 1964. Activation of bacterial endospores. Journal of Bacteriology88:313–318.
Knaysi, G., Curran, H. R. 1961. Effects of some mechanical factors on the endospores ofBacillus subtilis. Journal of Bacteriology82:691–694.
Krishna Murty, G. G., Halvorson, H. O. 1957. Effect of enzyme inhibitors on the germination and respiration of and growth fromBacillus cereus var.terminalis spores. Journal of Bacteriology73:230–234.
Lewis, J. C. 1969. Dormancy, pp 301–358. In: Gould, G. W., Hurst, A. (eds.), The bacterial spore. New York: Academic Press.
Powell, J. 1950. Factors affecting the germination of thick suspensions ofBacillus subtilis spores inl-alanine solution. Journal of General Microbiology4:330–340.
Powell, J. F., Hunter, J. R. 1955. Spore germination in the genusBacillus. The modification of germination as a result of pre-heating. Journal of General Microbiology13:59–67.
Rode, L. J., Foster, J. W. 1960. Mechanical germination of bacterial spores. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America46:118–128.
Rode, L. J., Foster, J. W. 1966. Quantitative aspects of exchangeable calcium in spores ofBacillus megaterium. Journal of Bacteriology91:1589–1593.
Salle, A. J. H., Gould, G. W., Hamilton, W. A. 1980. Inactivation of bacterial spores by hydrostatic pressure. Journal of General Microbiology60:323–334.
Taimuty, S. I. 1963. A review of the dosimetry field, pp. 175–182. In: Review of the army food irradiation program: Hearing before the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Congress of the United States. Washington, D. C.: United States Government Printing Office.
Tamir, H., Gilvarg, C. 1966. Density gradient centrifugation for the separation of sporulating forms of bacteria. Journal of Biological Chemistry241:1085–1090.
Tarr, H. L. 1933. Some observations on the respiratory catalysts present in the spores and vegetative cells of certain aerobic bacilli. Biochemical Journal27:136–142.
Widdowson, J. P. 1967.Bacillus pantothenticus spores activated by dimethylformamide and dimethylsulfoxide. Nature (London)214:812–813.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DeMet, E., Grecz, N. Radiation activation of respiration inBacillus cereus T spores. Current Microbiology 6, 151–154 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01642389
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01642389