Enzymatic Control of Cell Division in Micro-Organisms*

Abstract

FROM lines of evidence converging from apparently widely separated fields it now appears possible to assemble evidence indicating that cell division in micro-organisms, and probably also in other organisms, is under the control of a unit enzymatic mechanism. The lines of investigation, developed quite independently, forming the foundations for this thesis are : (1) physico-chemical studies by Hinshelwood and co-workers¹ on the kinetics of bacterial growth and the state of balance between division and elongation ; (2) the studies of Witkin² (genetic), Eisenstark and Clark³ (electron microscope), and others^20,21,22 on irradiated bacteria ; (3) cytochemical investigations of Pratt and Dufrenoy⁴ on the mode of action of penicillin ; (4) metabolic studies on dimorphic pathogenic fungi by Nickerson and Edwards⁵ ; and (5) examination of the chemical control of morphogenesis in yeasts by Jillson and Nickerson⁶, the common denominator in all of these lines of investigation being a close examination of the effects of inimical or critical conditions on the morphogenesis of dividing cells. The examinations have revealed a common fundamental attribute of cell division of micro-organisms.