Biomaterial Database

Altered chemotaxis of Bacillus sphaericus L-ethionine-resistant sporulation mutant. A probable link between chemotaxis and sporulation. 1994

J Andreev, and P A Dibrov, and S Braun

Department of Biological Chemistry, A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

A UV irradiation-induced mutant of Bacillus sphaericus 2362 whose sporulation was inhibited neither by natural amino acids nor by L-ethionine was selected. The mutant (A61) grew slowly in rich amino acid medium and contained increased concentrations of heat-resistant spores throughout the growth. Slow growth of A61 was related to continuous presence of aging and sporulating cells even when the medium was rich in nutrients. Ability of the mutant to sense nutrient presence in the environment and to relate this information to systems regulating the switch from vegetative growth to sporulation seem to be damaged. A61 also demonstrated impaired chemotaxis. In contrast to the parent strain, only few amino acids elicited chemotactic response in A61. Methylation of the A61 methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein(s) was lower than that of the parent strain by one order of magnitude. Spontaneous fast-growing phenotypic revertants of A61 displayed sporulation behavior characteristic of B. sphaericus 2362. Their chemotaxis to amino acids was considerably improved. To some amino acids, it proved to be even stronger than in the original strain, B. sphaericus 2362. It is suggested, that methyl transfer events originating in the chemotactic system are involved in the triggering of sporulation, the A61 mutation being located in this signalling pathway.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008565	Membrane Proteins	Proteins which are found in membranes including cellular and intracellular membranes. They consist of two types, peripheral and integral proteins. They include most membrane-associated enzymes, antigenic proteins, transport proteins, and drug, hormone, and lectin receptors.	Cell Membrane Protein,Cell Membrane Proteins,Cell Surface Protein,Cell Surface Proteins,Integral Membrane Proteins,Membrane-Associated Protein,Surface Protein,Surface Proteins,Integral Membrane Protein,Membrane Protein,Membrane-Associated Proteins,Membrane Associated Protein,Membrane Associated Proteins,Membrane Protein, Cell,Membrane Protein, Integral,Membrane Proteins, Integral,Protein, Cell Membrane,Protein, Cell Surface,Protein, Integral Membrane,Protein, Membrane,Protein, Membrane-Associated,Protein, Surface,Proteins, Cell Membrane,Proteins, Cell Surface,Proteins, Integral Membrane,Proteins, Membrane,Proteins, Membrane-Associated,Proteins, Surface,Surface Protein, Cell
D008745	Methylation	Addition of methyl groups. In histo-chemistry methylation is used to esterify carboxyl groups and remove sulfate groups by treating tissue sections with hot methanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid. (From Stedman, 25th ed)	Methylations
D009154	Mutation	Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations.	Mutations
D002633	Chemotaxis	The movement of cells or organisms toward or away from a substance in response to its concentration gradient.	Haptotaxis
D004352	Drug Resistance, Microbial	The ability of microorganisms, especially bacteria, to resist or to become tolerant to chemotherapeutic agents, antimicrobial agents, or antibiotics. This resistance may be acquired through gene mutation or foreign DNA in transmissible plasmids (R FACTORS).	Antibiotic Resistance,Antibiotic Resistance, Microbial,Antimicrobial Resistance, Drug,Antimicrobial Drug Resistance,Antimicrobial Drug Resistances,Antimicrobial Resistances, Drug,Drug Antimicrobial Resistance,Drug Antimicrobial Resistances,Drug Resistances, Microbial,Resistance, Antibiotic,Resistance, Drug Antimicrobial,Resistances, Drug Antimicrobial
D005001	Ethionine	2-Amino-4-(ethylthio)butyric acid. An antimetabolite and methionine antagonist that interferes with amino acid incorporation into proteins and with cellular ATP utilization. It also produces liver neoplasms.
D006358	Hot Temperature	Presence of warmth or heat or a temperature notably higher than an accustomed norm.	Heat,Hot Temperatures,Temperature, Hot,Temperatures, Hot
D000072236	Methyl-Accepting Chemotaxis Proteins	Transmembrane sensor receptor proteins that are central components of the chemotactic systems of a number of motile bacterial species which include ESCHERICHIA COLI and SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM. Methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins derive their name from a sensory adaptation process which involves methylation at several glutamyl residues in their cytoplasmic domain. Methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins trigger chemotactic responses across spatial chemical gradients, causing organisms to move either toward favorable stimuli or away from toxic ones.	Methyl-Accepting Chemotaxis Protein,MACP-I,MACP-II,Methyl Accepting Chemotaxis Protein 1,Methyl Accepting Chemotaxis Protein 2,Methyl Accepting Chemotaxis Protein 3,Methyl-Accepting Chemotaxis Protein I,Methyl-Accepting Chemotaxis Protein II,Methyl-Accepting Chemotaxis Protein III,Chemotaxis Protein, Methyl-Accepting,Chemotaxis Proteins, Methyl-Accepting,Methyl Accepting Chemotaxis Protein,Methyl Accepting Chemotaxis Protein I,Methyl Accepting Chemotaxis Protein II,Methyl Accepting Chemotaxis Protein III,Methyl Accepting Chemotaxis Proteins,Protein, Methyl-Accepting Chemotaxis,Proteins, Methyl-Accepting Chemotaxis
D000596	Amino Acids	Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (-COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins.	Amino Acid,Acid, Amino,Acids, Amino
D001407	Bacillus	A genus of BACILLACEAE that are spore-forming, rod-shaped cells. Most species are saprophytic soil forms with only a few species being pathogenic.	Bacillus bacterium