The relation between sporulation and the induction of antibiotic synthesis and of amino acid uptake in Bacillus brevis.

The induction and localization of tyrocidine-synthesizing enzymes is shown to be parallel, during growth of Bacillus brevis (ATCC 8185, American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, Md.), with the induction of uptake of constitutive amino acids and of components of pantetheine, a coenzyme of tyrocidine synthesis. Antibiotic synthesis appears at the end of logarithmic growth when the first soluble enzymes may be obtained from homogenates. During this period, binding proteins for metabolite uptake were isolated by intensive sonication which, when studied by chromatography, were identified by the appearance of low molecular weight fractions binding the radioactively marked metabolites; their induction was prevented by addition of rifampicin. The major purpose of this study was a comparison of antibiotic production and sporulation, the progress of which was followed by electron microscopy. The onset of tyrocidine synthesis and metabolite uptake coincided with the appearance of septum formation indicating that sporulation had progressed to stage II. With the progress of spore encapsulation, the tyrocidine production migrated from the soluble fraction into the forespore, terminating with the separation of forespores from the sporangium membrane. The resulting concentration of antibiotic in the forespore may indicate its function in sporulation, the nature of which, however, was not explored.