Mutagenic Response during Sporulation of Bacillus cereus

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Abstract
Populations of Bacillus cereus undergoing sporulation in distilled water exhibit a period of constant sensitivity to the lethal and mutagenic effects of radiation during the first half of the process. This is followed by a sensitive period, not due to the loss of protective material, such as RNA. Subsequent to this the developing spore becomes refractory to the dose mutagenic for vegetative cells before developing heat resistance. The length of the delay in maximal expression of induced mutants was the same for mutants screened from spores of irradiated vegetative cells and mutants resulting from irradiated vegetative cells not permitted to sporulate. The effects were similar with UV and X-irradiation.