title: Cell wall polymers of Bacillus sphaericus: activities of enzymes involved in peptidoglycan precursor synthesis during sporulation.
abstract: In synchronously sporulating cells of Bacillus sphaericus 9602, the specific activities of those enzymes specifically required for the synthesis of the UDP-N-acetyl-muramyl-pentapeptide precursor of vegetative cell wall peptidoglycan decay by 50% after the end of exponential cell division, probably as a consequence of dilution by newly synthesized protein. The meso-diaminopimelate ligase is the only new activity whose synthesis is required for synthesis of the nucleotide-pentapeptide precursor of spore cortex peptidoglycan. The addition of d-Ala-d-Ala to the nucleotide tripeptide is catalyzed by an enzyme present in both vegetative and sporulating cells, which apparently does not discriminate between lysine- and diaminopimelate-containing acceptors. The activities of the l-Ala and d-Ala-d-Ala ligases and of the d-Ala-d-Ala synthetase increases in parallel with the appearance of the diaminopimelate ligase, indicating coordinate derepression and suggesting operon-like organization of the appropriate structural genes.
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism; D000591:Amino Acid Isomerases / Q000378:metabolism*; D001407:Bacillus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D002474:Cell-Free System; D004590:Electrophoresis, Paper; D005971:Glutamates / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008239:Lysine / Q000378:metabolism; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism; D008345:Manganese / Q000378:metabolism; D010453:Peptide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005971:Glutamates; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D011498:Protein Precursors; D008345:Manganese; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D000591:Amino Acid Isomerases; D010453:Peptide Synthases; D008274:Magnesium; D008239:Lysine; D000409:Alanine