Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
07:26
Metal-Limited Growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae for Characterization of Metal-Responsive Genes and Metal Acquisition from Host Ligands
Published on: March 4, 2020
5.2K
Menaquinone and iron are essential for complex colony development in Bacillus subtilis
Gidi Pelchovich1, Shira Omer-Bendori, Uri Gophna
1Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Plos One
|November 14, 2013
Summary
Menaquinone and iron are crucial for Bacillus subtilis to form complex colonies on agar. Inhibiting menaquinone or certain mutations affecting iron uptake prevent complex colony development (CCD).
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cellular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Undomesticated Bacillus subtilis strains exhibit complex colony development (CCD) on agar surfaces.
- Menaquinone is known to play a role in bacterial sporulation, suggesting potential involvement in other coordinated behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of menaquinone in the complex colony development (CCD) of Bacillus subtilis strain NCIB 3610.
- To determine if menaquinone is essential for B. subtilis to form complex colonies.
Main Methods:
- Inhibition of menaquinone biosynthesis in B. subtilis.
- Analysis of B. subtilis mutants with defective CCD.
- Supplementation of mutants with menaquinone derivatives.
- Mapping of mutations to specific genetic loci, including the dhb operon.
Main Results:
- Inhibition of menaquinone biosynthesis completely abolished the ability of B. subtilis to form complex colonies.
- Certain B. subtilis mutations causing defective CCD were suppressed by menaquinone derivatives.
- Several defective CCD mutants were found to have mutations in the dhb operon, involved in iron siderophore biosynthesis.
Conclusions:
- Menaquinone is essential for complex colony development (CCD) in Bacillus subtilis.
- Iron, through pathways involving the dhb operon and bacillibactin, is also critical for CCD.
- Both menaquinone and iron are indispensable factors for the formation of complex colonies in B. subtilis.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
94
Microbial activity plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron and manganese, especially at the redox gradients characteristic of stratified aquatic environments. These cycles are driven by microbial transformations between oxidized and reduced forms of the metals, allowing organisms to exploit them for metabolic energy and structural purposes.Iron Cycling Across Redox GradientsIn neutral, oxygen-rich surface waters, iron is predominantly found in its oxidized, insoluble ferric...
94
01:46Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II
11.9K
The mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is the main energy generation system in the eukaryotic cells. However, mitochondria also produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to the large electron flow during oxidative phosphorylation. While Complex I is one of the primary sources of superoxide radicals, ROS production by Complex II is uncommon and may only be observed in cancer cells with mutated complexes.
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
11.9K
01:29Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
3.5K
Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...
3.5K
01:43Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV
6.8K
During the electron transport chain, electrons from NADH and FADH2 are first transferred to complexes I and II, respectively. These two complexes then transfer the electrons to ubiquinol, which carries them further to complex III. Complex III passes the electrons across the intermembrane space to Cyt c, which carries them further to complex IV. Complex IV donates electrons to oxygen and reduces it to water. As electrons pass through complexes I, III, and IV, the energy released aids the pumping...
6.8K
01:28Microbial Nutrition
2.0K
Organisms exhibit remarkable metabolic diversity, categorized based on how they acquire energy and carbon. These strategies enable survival in various ecological niches and are essential for maintaining energy flow and nutrient cycling within ecosystems.Energy and Carbon SourcesOrganisms are classified as phototrophs or chemotrophs based on energy acquisition. Phototrophs use light as their energy source, while chemotrophs rely on oxidizing chemical compounds. Further differentiation arises...
2.0K
01:23Stringent Response in E. coli
533
Bacterial growth is closely tied to nutrient availability, with cells proliferating exponentially under favorable conditions and entering a stationary phase when resources become scarce. This transition is mediated by a regulatory mechanism known as the stringent response, which allows bacteria to adapt to nutrient deprivation by modulating gene expression and metabolic activity.During nutrient scarcity, intracellular amino acid levels decline. It results in the accumulation of uncharged tRNAs...
533