| Abstract: | The concentrations of metabolites altered immediately after culture inoculation into fresh medium and depended on the their dilution (in small dilutions metabolites were released into the medium, and, on the contrary, in great dilutions they were adsorbed). Acetate was the main exometabolite. The growth of culture started only when the acetate concentration reached the threshold value. At the stage of growth deceleration an intensive release of acetate and other exometabolites occurred. The process had the explosive character of chemical chain reaction. It could be initiated by high local concentrations of metabolites around bacteria, most sensitive to changes in growth conditions. At a high concentration of such cells the signal could be transmitted from one bacteria to another, otherwise the reaction chain was quickly broken and no mass release of metabolites occurred. At the stationary phase succinate, valine and lactate were consumed by bacteria with lactate concentration dropping practically to 0. At the same time acetate and citrate concentrations oscillated about some constant value. The release of growth inhibitors, formiate and alanine, continued to the end of cultivation, which was, seemingly, one of the factors of growth cessation. The specific features of the dymamics of metabolites were indicative of the fact that they had their individual regulatory functions. The problem of the self-synchronization of the bacterial culture is discussed. |
