Deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis during microcyst germination in Myxococcus xanthus.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis was measured during microcyst germination in Myxococcus xanthus by radioactive thymidine incorporation, autoradiography, and chemical analysis. Microcysts contained an average of 6.6 conserved units of DNA, corresponding to 3 to 4 chromosomes per cell. Correlation of the DNA content and chromosome number of microcysts indicated that the molecular weight of the nonreplicating M. xanthus chromosome is 4.9 x 10(9) daltons. DNA synthesis was initiated 3.5 to 4 hr after induction of germination. From 4 to 6 hr, the rate of synthesis was constant and the accumulation was linear. After a lag period (6 to 6.5 hr), the rate of DNA synthesis increased, reaching a second plateau at 9 hr. From 9 to 11 hr, the rate was again constant and the accumulation was linear. Cellular division during germination showed an unusual kind of synchrony. A model is presented that accounts for chromosomal replication and cell division during microcyst germination.