# NOVEL CONTROL MECHANISMS IN ENDOSPORE FORMATION

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 1988 · $198,444

## Abstract

This is a proposal to study the biochemical regulation of enzyme activity
during metabolic adaptation and differentiation.  Two general questions are
posed:  (1) what biochemical mechanisms catalyze and regulate the selective
inactivation and degradation of enzymes in vivo?  and (2) how is the
synthesis of enzymes developmentally regulated?  These phenomena occur in
most cell types and are poorly understood.  The experimental system is the
differentiating bacterium Bacillus subtilis, in which we have characterized
in detail two target enzymes of nucleotide biosynthesis, aspartate
transcarbamylase and glutamine PRPP amidotransferase, which are selectively
degraded in nutrient-starved (sporulating) cells.  The synthesis of these
two enzymes is also abruptly shut off prior to their degradation.

It is proposed to continue extensive study of the developmental regulation
of these enzymes by pursuing the following specific aims:

1. To reconstruct the degradation process in vitro from purified components
and to explain the regulation of degradation by the stringent response;

2. To isolate and characterize mutants and clones of genes involved in
degradation;

3. To test the hypotheses that degradation of the amidotransferase is
preceded by oxidative inactivation of an essential Fe-S cluster;

4. To elucidate the structure and transcription in vitro of the cloned
aspartate transcarbamylase (pyrB) gene;

5. To construct mutant forms of the pyrB gene and test their functioning in
vivo so as to test hypotheses concerning regulation of pyrB expression; and
if resources are adequate

6. To study developmental and nutritional regulation of other genes of the
pyr cluster by cloning, sequencing and expression studies with mutant
clones.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3124896
- **Project number:** 5R01AI011121-16
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **SAM.gov UEI:** Y8CWNJRCNN91
- **Principal Investigator:** ROBERT L SWITZER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $198,444
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1976-05-01 → 1991-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3124896

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3124896, NOVEL CONTROL MECHANISMS IN ENDOSPORE FORMATION (5R01AI011121-16). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3124896. Licensed CC0.

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