Abstract
A transient 7-fold rise of ppGpp concentration, 2-3-fold increase of pppGpp concentration and 50 % drop of the concentration of GTP inBacillus megaterium cells immediately after their transfer to the sporulation medium were observed. Actinomycin D, in concentrations inhibiting RNA synthesis by 95%, blocked the rise of the (p)ppGpp pool and caused an instant several-fold increase of the GTP level. When the cells were exposed to actinomycin D in the sporulation medium for a 1-h period (time 0–1 h, 1–2 h or 2.20–3.20-h), they were able to form colonies on nutrient agar after being kept, in addition for 1–2 h in the sporulation medium free of the antibiotic. The ability of sporulation was, however, markedly limited. The share of cells that could sporulate increased when the irreversible sporulation phase was reached.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cashel M.: The control of ribonucleic acid synthesis inEscherichia coli.J. Biol. Chem.244, 3133–3141 (1969).
Chaloupka J., Severin J., Sastry K.J., Kučerová H., Strnadová M.: Differences in the regulation of exocellular proteinase synthesis during growth and sporogenesis ofBacillus megaterium. Can. J. Microbiol.28, 1214–1218 (1982).
Doi R.H., Wang L.-F.: Multiple procaryotic ribonucleic acid polymerase σ factors.Microbiol. Rev.50, 227–243 (1986).
Freese E., Freese E.B., Allen E.R., Olempska-Beer Z., Orrego C., Varma A., Wabiko H.: Metabolic initiation of spore development, pp. 194–202 inMolecular Biology of Microbial Differentiation (J.A. Hoch, P. Setlow, Eds). Amer. Soc. Microbiol., Washington 1985.
Lopez J.M., Marks C.L., Freese E.: The decrease of quanine nucleotides initiates sporulation ofBacillus subtilis.Biochim. Biophys. Acta587, 238–252 (1979).
McQuillen K.: Bacterial protoplasts. I. Protein and nucleic acid metabolism in protoplasts ofBacillus megaterium.Biochim. Biophys. Acta17, 382–390 (1955).
Miller M.J.: Sensitivity of RNA synthesis to actinomycin D inhibition is dependent on the frequency of transcription: a mathematical model.J. Theor. Biol.129, 289–299 (1987).
Müller W., Crothers D.M.: Studies of the binding of actinomycin and relate compounds to DNA.J. Mol. Biol.35, 251–290 (1968).
Ochi K., Kandala J., Freese E.: Evidence thatBacillus subtilis sporulation induced by the stringent response is caused by the decrease in GTP or GDP.J. Bacteriol.151, 1062–1065 (1982).
Ochi K., Freese E.: Effect of antibiotics on sporulation caused by the stringent response inBacillus subtilis.J. Gen. Microbiol.129, 3709–3720 (1983).
Price V.L., Brown L.R.: Transcriptional inhibition and production by guanosine polyphosphates inBacillus subtilis.J. Bacteriol.147, 752–756 (1981).
Ruppen M.E., Switzer R.L.: Involvement of the stringent response in degradation of glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase inBacillus subtilis.J. Bacteriol.155, 56–63 (1983).
Váchová L., Chaloupka J.: Protein turnover during sporulation ofBacillus megaterium. Effect of actinomycin D.14th Internat. Congr. Biochemistry, Prague; Abstract No. 025, 1988.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Váchová, L., Strnadová, M., Kučerová, H. et al. Effect of actinomycin D on viability, sporulation and nucleotide pool ofBacillus megaterium . Folia Microbiol 35, 190–199 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02820484
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02820484