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Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis During Exponential Growth and Microcyst Formation in Myxococcus xanthus

Department of Bacteriology and Institute of Molecular Biology, University of California, Los Angeles
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

ABSTRACT

Myxococcus xanthus in exponential phase with a generation time of 270 min contained a period of 50 min during which deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis did not take place. After induction of microcysts by the glycerol technique, the DNA content increased 19%. Autoradiographic experiments demonstrated that the DNA made after glycerol induction was not evenly distributed among the microcysts. The distribution of grains per microcyst fits the following model of chromosome replication: in exponential phase, each daughter cell receives two chromosomes which are replicated sequentially during 80% of the divison cycle; after microcyst induction, no chromosomes are initiated. Mathematical formulas were derived which predict the kinetics and discrete probability distribution for several chromosome models.

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