78 



H. HALVORSON et al. 



1. Germinating agents are usually normal metabolites and 

 in a number of cases disappear during germination; 



2. Stereospecific binding sites can be recognized for germi- 

 nating agents which are subject to competitive inhibition; 



3. The temperature dependence of germination is that ex- 

 pected of an enzymic reaction^^. 25. 



4. Germination can be blocked by a number of metabolic 

 poisons. 



The primary objective is the recognition of the primary 

 reaction and also the metabolic reactions essential to germina- 

 tion. 



We have approached this problem by characterizing the 

 germinating agents of 5. cereus^^ -^. The common feature of the 

 germination stimulants appears to be their biochemical relation- 

 ships rather than their structural relationships. Products of 

 hexose metabolism, pyruvate and its normal degradation 

 products, can act as germinating agents. These findings have led 

 us to examine the metabolism of germinating agents by activated 



ADENOSINE 



i 



INOSINE 





Ribose- 



R5P 



6P3*- 



GLUCOSE 



i 



Gluconate 



I 



2 KG 



I 



-2K6PG 



/ 



Xu5R 



ALANINE "in^m^^ 



G6P 



F6P 



Triose/ 



i 



P yruvate -a Lactate 



4 



Acetate 



i 



TCA cycle 



Fig. 3. The pathway of glucose oxidation in B. cereiis strain T spores. 



