Effect of Temperature on the Growth and Cell Wall Chemistry of a Facultative Thermophilic Bacillus

Abstract

The morphology and cell wall composition of Bacillus coagulans , a facultative thermophile, were examined as a function of growth temperature. The morphology of the organism varied when it was grown at different temperatures; at 37 C the organism grew as individual cells which increased in length with increasing growth temperature. At 55 C it grew in long chains of cells. Cell wall prepared from cells grown at 37 C contained 44% teichoic acid by weight, whereas cells grown at 55 C contained 29% teichoic acid. Teichoic acid from these cells was a polymer of glycerol phosphate containing galactose and ester alanine. The ratio of ester alanine to phosphate was significantly higher in cell walls and teichoic acid from 37 C-grown cells compared with those from 55 C-grown cells. Other differences observed were that cells grown at 55 C contained a lower level of autolytic ability, produced cell walls which bound more Mg 2+ , and contained less peptide cross-bridging in its peptidoglycan layer than cells grown at 37 C.

Electron microscope histochemical localization of alkaline phosphatase(s) in Bacillus licheniformis

“…At 550C, the cells were seen in chains and the cell wall appeared less tightly packed, with a rougher outer surface as compared with 37°C cells. These same changes have been observed in a facultative thermophilic strain of Bacillus coagulans by Novitsky et al (34) and have been correlated in their system with a change in cell wall composition. The rougher, less tightly packed appearance of 55°C-grown cells has been related by Novitsky of peptide cross bridging found in 55°C cells as compared with 37°C cells.…”

“…Dul and McDonald (9) postulated that a lack of cell wall crosslinkage may be involved in the increased thermal resistance of 55°C-grown cells. A possible correlation between cell wall morphology and cell wall composition as described by Novitsky et al (34) may exist in B. licheniformis MC14 as well. The biochemical assay for APase detected comparable activity levels in 55 and 37°Cgrown cells.…”

“…Growth rate constants for the mid-logarithmic phase of growth were calculated to quantitate the differences in rate of growth at 55 and 37°C (34). The growth rate constant, k, for dere- pressed cells was calculated from the relationship Mk = dM/dt, where M represents dry cell mass from a 400-ml liquid culture and t represents time.…”

Purification and characterization of thermolabile glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from the facultative thermophile Bacillus coagulans KU

“…This is the first well-documented report of a homogeneous thermolabile enzyme from a thermophilic organism. Since Novitsky et al (1974) noted that several of the glycolytic enzymes that were assayed in crude extracts of B. coagulans were thermolabile, this may be a general feature of enzymes from this organism. Two possible explanations of how this enzyme can function in vivo are rapid resynthesis of the enzyme or intracellular stabilizing factors.…”

Sequence homology in the amino-terminal and active-site regions of thermolabile glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from a thermophile.

“…Thus, the discovery that this enzyme from the thermophile Bacillus coagulans KU was more thermolabile than the enzyme from any other known source (10,11) was of much interest. This organism was isolated and identified by Novitsky et al (28) and is classified as a facultative thermophile according to the taxonomic scheme of Farrell and Campbell (14).…”