KINETIC ANALYSIS OF THE UV-RESISTANT TRANSIENT STAGE IN SPORE GERMINATION OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS

Abstract

An extremely UV-resistant stage was found to appear only temporarily in the early phase of germination of B. subtilis spores. Kinetic analysis of the course of germination with special reference to ultraviolet and heat resistance revealed that the germinating spores remain at this transient stage for one to six minutes depending on the condition of germination, and then they are converted into germinated form with the loss of UV resistance.
The effect of heat activation, germination temperature, pH, and composition of germination medium on the duration of this transient stage was studied. From the effect of metal ions, added to the germination medium, the hydrolytic degradation of spore mucopeptide catalyzed by an enzyme similar to STRANGE-DARK'S "cell-wall lytic enzyme" was considered to be responsible for the conversion of physiological characteristics of spores from the UV-resistant transient stage to germinated form.