METABOLIC PATTERNS OF NUTRITIONALLY DIFFERENTIATED CELL TYPES OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS

Abstract

The marked effects of nutrition on the glucose metabolism of Bacilus subtilis, Marburg strain, have been demonstrated (Gary and Bard, 1952a). The results revealed that growth in a tryptone-yeast extract-glucose medium yields cells capable of vigorous respiration and fermentation, whereas cells grown in an inorganic nitrogen-alts-glucose medium exhibit respiratory activity with prac-tically no fermentative capacity. These differ-ences in biochemical activity and the nature of the disimilatory end products suggested divergent metabolic pathways and certain possible differ-ences in enzymatic constitution. Preliminary enzymatic studies (Gary and Bard, 1952b) indi-cated that the two types of cells possess quanti-tative differences in aldolae, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase, and cytochrome oxidase. The subsequent results of this investi-gation and the effect of adjuvants on the stimu-lation of the anaerobic glucose metabolism are presented below. METODS The organism, media, and growth conditions employed in this investigation are the same (ex-cept when noted) as those previously reported (Gary and Bard, 1952a). Designations of cell types are as follows: C-cells, harvested from tryptone-yeast extract-glucose medium (Complex medium); and S-cells, harvested from ammonium chloride-glucose-salts medium (Simple medium). To obtain large quantities of cells, the organism was grown in 10 liter volumes of the above media at 37 C in carboy bottles while sterile air was bubbled through the media at a rate of 60 to 75 ml air per min. After 6 to 8 hr of incubation, the