α-Amylase Formation and Calcium Metabolism of Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

The regulation mechanism by calcium involved in the α-amylase formation of a certain Bacillus subtilis was investigated. The bacterial cells were found to associate with a large quantity of calcium, but in the association neither metal specificity nor energy de-pendence was observed. The calcium was quantitatively distributed in the cellular fraction sensitive to lysozyme and was found essential for the enzyme formation. The calcium present in protoplasts of the bacterial cells was not influenced by EDTA and did not seem to have an effect on α-amylase formation.