Manganese is accumulated in Bacillus subtilis by a highly specific active transport system. This trace element "pump" is insensitive to added magnesium or calcium and preferentially accumulates manganese in the presence of cobalt, iron, and copper. Manganese uptake in B. subtilis is inhibited by cyanide, azide, pentachlorophenol, and m-chlorophenyl carbonylcyanide hydrazone. The uptake of manganese follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and the net accumulation of manganese is regulated by increasing the V(max) after exposure to manganese-starvation conditions and by decreasing the V(max) for manganese uptake during growth in excess manganese. The K(m) remains constant during these regulatory changes in V(max). Manganese accumulated during growth is exchangeable for exogenous manganese and can be released from the cells by toluene (which causes leakage but not lysis) or by lysis with lysozyme. Two stages can be distinguished with regard to intracellular manganese during the process of growth and sporulation. During logarithmic growth, B. subtilis maintains a relatively constant internal manganese content, which is a function of the external manganese concentration following approximately a Langmuir adsorption isotherm. At the end of log phase, net accumulation of manganese slows. A second phase of net manganese accumulation begins at about the same time during sporulation as the accumulation of calcium begins. The manganese accumulated during growth and early sporulation is exchangeable and therefore relatively "free"; intracellular manganese is converted later during sporulation into a bound form that cannot be released by toluene or lysozyme.

Azides↗

PubMed1973

Regulation of manganese accumulation and exchange in Bacillus subtilis W23.

An overnight culture of Bacillus subtilis W23 in low-manganese tryptone broth is unable to sporulate and becomes hyperactive with regard to the manganese active transport system during stationary phase. When manganese is added to cells in spent or fresh medium, the cells immediately accumulate a high proportion of the manganese available in the medium. When the hyperactive cells are diluted into broth containing 10 muM Mn(2+), high intracellular manganese levels are reached, and inhibition of ribonucleic acid and protein synthesis occurs. This inhibition is relieved when the intracellular manganese concentration declines to the nontoxic levels characteristic of cells growing in 10 muM Mn(2+). The release of the accumulated manganese is achieved by a reduction in the uptake rate for manganese while the efflux rate remains essentially constant. Inhibitors of ribonucleic acid and protein synthesis prevent the reduction of the high rate of manganese uptake and, therefore, high net concentrations of manganese are maintained in the presence of these inhibitors. The hyperactive manganese uptake system is temperature dependent and inhibited by cyanide and m-chlorophenyl carbonylcyanide hydrazone.

Bacillus subtilis↗

PubMed1973