title: Criteria for categorizing early biochemical events occurring during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis.
abstract: Two criteria are suggested for assessing the relevance of biochemical events occurring early in sporulation. The first is thymidine starvation, a condition known to inhibit sporulation. This also inhibits the production of metalloprotease, serine protease, and ribonuclease; alpha-amylase production, however, is unaffected. The second is the effect of a regulator mutation which increases the production of the proteases. In the mutant, ribonuclease is produced in correspondingly large quantities whereas alpha-amylase production is unaffected. We conclude that, whereas the serine protease is part of the main sequence of events leading to formation of the spore, the metalloprotease is a side effect, i.e., connected with the main sequence but not part of it. Ribonuclease could, on present evidence, be either in the main sequence or a side effect associated with it. Amylase, however, seems to be separately regulated and neither directly nor indirectly connected with the sporulation sequence.
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000681:Amylases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D002474:Cell-Free System; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005459:Fluorides; D009154:Mutation; D011402:Pronase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012694:Serine; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013451:Sulfonic Acids; D012694:Serine; D012260:Ribonucleases; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D000681:Amylases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D011402:Pronase; D005459:Fluorides; D013936:Thymidine