Bacteriophage-enhanced sporulation: comparison of spore-converting bacteriophages PMB12 and SP10.
The previously characterized bacteriophage SP10 enhanced the frequency of wild-type sporulation by Bacillus subtilis W23 and 3-13. Comparison of SP10 with the spore-converting bacteriophage PMB12 indicated that both bacteriophages significantly increased the sporulation frequency of an oligosporogenic mutant that contained spo0J::Tn917 omega HU261. SP10 and PMB12 caused wild-type bacteria to sporulate in a liquid medium that initially contained enough glucose to inhibit the sporulation and expression of alpha-amylase by uninfected bacteria. SP10 also induced the expression of alpha-amylase in the presence of glucose, whereas PMB12 had no detectable effect. These observations were consistent with the conclusion that SP10 is a spore-converting bacteriophage and that SP10 and PMB12 relieve glucose-mediated catabolite repression of sporulation by different mechanisms.
Silver-Mysliwiec
T H
TH
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102.
Bramucci
M G
MG
D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D013045:Species Specificity; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
D000516:alpha-Amylases; D005947:Glucose