Immunoelectron microscopic studies on spore coat proteins of Bacillus megaterium

An immunochemical staining technique for the spore coat proteins of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 12872 was developed using colloidal gold as a second antibody. For reducing the non-specific immunogold binding and increasing the specific binding, the affinity-purified IgG was used as a first antibody. In sporulating cells at t10, gold particles were found not only in the spore coat but also in the mother cell cytoplasm, suggesting that some coat proteins were synthesized in the cytoplasm. Use of the specific affinity-purified antibody to 48K-protein demonstrated that this protein was one of the components of the outer coat.     

Biosynthetic studies on N-acetylmannosaminuronic acid containing teichuronic acid in Bacillus megaterium

The particulate enzymes obtained from four strains of Bacillus megaterium AHU 1240, AHU 1373, AHU 1375, and T catalyzed the synthesis of a polysaccharide and glycolipids from UDP-N-acetylmannosaminuronic acid, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, and UDP-glucose. Chemical studies involving Smith degradation, acid hydrolysis, and N-acetylation revealed that the polysaccharide product has a backbone made up of trisaccharide repeating units comprising glucose, N-acetylmannosaminuronic acid, and N-acetylglucosamine and that the main oligosaccharide moieties of the glycolipids were identical with N-acetylmannosaminuronosyl-N-acetylglucosamine and glucosyl-N-acetylmannosaminuronosyl-N-acetylglucosamine. Incubation of the disaccharide-linked lipid with each particulate enzyme in the presence of UDP-glucose produced the trisaccharide-linked lipid and a polysaccharide. It is therefore suggested that in this polysaccharide-synthesizing system the repeating unit is formed on a carrier lipid from appropriate nucleotide derivatives first and the polymerization of the units then occurs to synthesize the backbone while the growing chain remains in pyrophosphate linkage to the carrier lipid presumed to be undecaprenol.     

Isomers of glucosaminylphosphatidylglycerol in Bacillus megaterium

1. The lipids of Bacillus megaterium were extracted and three lipids containing glucosamine were identified. One of these is not a phospholipid, but the other two, which differ in their chromatographic behaviour, contain phosphorus, glycerol, fatty acid and d-glucosamine in the molar proportions 1:2:2:1. 2. In both phosphoglycolipids, the fatty acids are bound in ester linkage, and both yield 2,5-anhydromannose and 3-sn-phosphatidyl-1'-sn-glycerol on treatment with sodium nitrite. 3. Both phosphoglycolipids were N-acetylated and, after removal of fatty acids by mild alkaline hydrolysis, in both cases N-acetylglucosamine was quantitatively released by beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase. 4. The glucosaminylglycerols derived from the two phosphoglycolipids by partial acid hydrolysis differ in their behaviour towards periodate. In one case 1 mole of periodate is rapidly consumed/mole of glucosaminylglycerol, but in the other case under identical conditions the consumption of periodate is negligible. 5. The phosphoglycolipids were identified as 1'-(1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl)-3'-O-beta-(2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol and as 1'-(1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl)-2'-O-beta-(2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol. 6. Both phosphoglycolipids are good substrates for phospholipase A: neither is a substrate for phospholipase C from Clostridium perfringens, and only the 3'-glucosaminide is a substrate for phospholipase D.     

Biochemical Alternations in Bacillus megaterium as Produced by Aflatoxin B1

Bacillus megaterium NRRL B-1368 cells and spores were produced on Trypticase Soy Broth (TSB) and Agar (TSA) containing 3.8 μg of aflatoxin B₁ per ml, analyzed for selected chemical constituents, and compared to cells and spores of B. megaterium produced on nontoxic Trypticase Soy Media. There was an initial 30% kill of cells after inoculation into toxic TSB and during the first 3.5 hr of incubation followed by a logarithmic growth phase in which the generation time was 75 min as compared to 20 min for the control culture. Chemical analyses revealed an increase in protein, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and ribonucleic acid (RNA) on both a per cell basis and a per cent dry weight basis when B. megaterium was grown in toxic TSB. There was a concurrent decrease in the total amounts of cellular protein, DNA, and RNA synthesized in toxic TSB. Amino acid analyses of control and test cell walls showed little, if any, difference in cell wall composition. About 97% sporulation of B. megaterium occurred after 3 days on nontoxic TSA although 6 days were required to attain 65% sporulation on toxic TSA. Germination of spores was not inhibited by 4.0 μg of aflatoxin per ml but outgrowth was. No significant differences were observed in the heat resistance, protein, DNA, RNA, or dipicolinic acid content of spores formed on toxic TSA and nontoxic TSA.     

Structural studies of a novel germination protease from spores of Bacillus megaterium

The amino acid sequence-specific protease (termed GPR) in the bacterium Bacillus megaterium initiates the rapid degradation of small, acid-soluble spore proteins during the germination of spores of this organism. GPR is synthesized during spore formation as an inactive zymogen termed P46, which later autoprocesses to a smaller active form termed P41, which acts during spore germination. However, GPR exhibits no obvious mechanistic or amino acid sequence similarity to any of the known classes of proteases. To initiate the determination of the mechanisms of P46 to P41 conversion, P46 inactivity, and P41 catalysis, B. megaterium GPR has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity by anion-exchange and size exclusion chromatography, and crystals of both P46 and P41 have been obtained by the vapor diffusion method. P46 crystals diffracted x rays to 3.5 A but the crystals of P41 diffracted x rays to only 6.5 A. A native x-ray diffraction data set of P46 has been collected; the unit cell parameters are a = b = 76.8, c = 313.1 A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees; the space group is tetragonal P41212 or P43212. The asymmetric unit contains two monomeric molecules with a crystal volume per unit protein mass of 2. 85 A3/Da and a solvent content of about 57%. An isomorphous heavy atom derivative data set has also been obtained for P46 crystals with potassium dicyanoaurate (I).     

Morphological Alterations in Bacillus megaterium as Produced by Aflatoxin B1

Morphologically abnormal cells were produced by Bacillus megaterium NRRL B-1368 in response to aflatoxin B(1). Filamentous forms were characterized by early granulation and unusually large and numerous deposits of poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid within the cells. Pantoyl lactone was without effect as a reversing agent for the observed inhibition of cell septum formation. B. megaterium cells and spores produced on toxic (3.8 mug of aflatoxin B(1) per ml) and nontoxic Trypticase Soy Broth and Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA) were observed by using phase contrast and electron microscopy. Transfer of aberrant forms to nontoxic TSA yielded macrocolonies with daughter cells morphologically indistinguishable from untreated cells. Agar slide cultures of filamentous cells transferred to nontoxic TSA indicated that normal cells were formed. Electron photomicrographs showed a decreased number of mesosomes in filamentous cells as compared to control cells. There were no observable morphological differences in spores formed on toxic or nontoxic TSA.     

13N isotope studies on the pathway of ammonia assimilation in Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli.

The pathway of ammonia incorporation into amino acids was studied by use of 13N-ammonium ions in Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli that had been grown aerobically on a minimal salts medium containing NH4Cl as the source of nitrogen. Anion- and cation-exchange high-pressure-liquid chromatography was used to separate amino acids relevant to the several possible pathways for ammonia assimilation in bacteria. At an initial concentration of added NH4+ of 1 microM, the glutamine synthetase-glutamate synthase pathway represented the major pathway in both bacteria on the basis of the effects of inhibitors of that pathway (L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine and azaserine) and of transamination (aminooxy-acetate) and the observation that the specific activity of glutamine was greater initially than that of any other amino acid likely to be the first product of an assimilation pathway. The study provides (i) a new analytical method for 13N-tracer investigation of amino acids, (ii) confirmation of conclusions from enzymological studies on the pathway of ammonia assimilation in B. megaterium and E. coli, and (iii) proof that alanine dehydrogenase and aspartate ammonia lyase (aspartase) are not important pathways in B. megaterium at low NH4+ concentrations.     

耐碱性木聚糖酶基因在巨大芽孢杆菌中的表达及其酶学性质

摘要：【目的】从耐碱性木聚糖酶高产短小芽孢杆菌中克隆得到带有自身启动子的木聚糖酶基因,将其在巨大芽孢杆菌中进行表达,并对表达产物进行性质分析。【方法】将克隆得到的木聚糖酶基因xynA以及带有自身启动子序列的结构基因, 构建在芽孢杆菌表达载体pWH1520和改造后的载体pWG03中,得到重组质粒pWTEJX和pWGXYN,分别转化到巨大芽孢杆菌BM70中,获得重组巨大芽孢杆菌BMJXH9和BMGpp12;经过诱导产酶培养,均得到分泌表达。【结论】重组巨大芽孢杆菌BMGpp12比BMJXH9产酶活力提高了三倍