STUDIES OF ASPOROGENIC MUTANTS OF BACILLUS CEREUS: PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS WITH CALCIUM AND ZINC

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Abstract
The physiology of spore formation was studied in Bacillus cereus and a temperature-sensitive asporogenic mutant. The parent organism sporulates when cultured in a minimal medium at either 28 °C or 37 °C while the mutant sporulates only at 28 °C. The blocking of sporulation at 37 °C has been referred to as "abortive" sporulation. Uptake of calcium and zinc was followed during growth and sporulation or "abortive" sporulation. Calcium and dipicolinic acid (DPA) levels in sporogenic cultures increased as the medium calcium was increased. The asporogenic mutant took up less calcium and synthesized little DPA. Heat resistance of spores increased as the calcium and DPA increased. Over 99% of Ca45or Zn65were released from labelled spores when autoclaved to release DPA. Chemical fractionations were made of cells labelled with Zn65and Ca45and harvested at different times during the culture cycle. Smaller percentages of calcium than of zinc were located in the cold trichloroacetic acid soluble fraction. The alcohol-soluble, ether-insoluble fraction of spores contained a greater percentage of calcium than was found in vegetative cells. Cells which had undergone "abortive" sporulation contained the same percentage of calcium in this fraction as homologous vegetative cells.