Different effects of D-glucose anomers for respiration of bacterial germinated spores

Effects of alpha- or beta-D-glucose on the respiration of germinated spores (only germinated spores not including swollen spores and elongated spores) of Bacillus subtilis and B. megaterium were studied. In our conditions, net amount of oxygen consumed by 10(10) germinated spores of B. subtilis per min after addition of alpha- or beta-D-glucose was 1.6 microgram or 6.6 microgram (beta/alpha = 4.13), while that by B.megaterium was 4.5 microgram of 6.8 microgram (beta/alpha = 1.51), respectively. However, the net amounts of oxygen consumed by 10(10) vegetative cells per min after addition of alpha- or beta-D-glucose were identical, for B.subtillis in both cases 443.0 microgram and for B.megaterium in both cases 604.4 microgram.