Activation and inactivation of synthesis of secondary wall polymers in Bacillus subtilis W23

Abstract

The progress of activation and inactivation of synthesis of the wall polymers, teichoic acid and teichuronic acid, in response to changes in the phosphate content of the growth medium has been examined using toluenised cells of B. subtilis W23. Activation of teichoic acid synthesis from nucleotide precursors was independent of protein synthesis, but chloramphenicol prevented activation when DL-glycerol 3-phosphate and CTP replaced CDP-glycerol as one of the substrates of the reaction. Activation of teichuronic acid synthesis was dependent on synthesis of protein. Inactivation of synthesis of both polymers was slowed, but not prevented, by inhibition of protein synthesis. Evidence was obtained that a protein synthesised during phosphate starvation retards the activation of teichoic acid synthesis.

Bacillus

“…Studies on the regulation of anionic polymer synthesis show that the amount of teichoic acid incorporated into walls of Bacillus growing under such differing steady-state phosphate concentrations is controlled by changes in the activity of enzymes catalyzing the synthesis of the lipid-linked "linkage unit" (Cheah et aI., 1982;Hancock, 1983Hancock, , 1985. The activity of enzymes effecting synthesis of the teichoic acid main chain did not vary with varied phosphate and decreased only when phosphate became fully limiting.…”