Control of teichoic acid synthesis during phosphate limitation.

The synthesis of teichoic acids was examined in Bacillus subtilis Marburg grown under conditions of phosphate limitation. The results indicate that the inhibition of polyglycerolphosphate synthesis observed under these conditions is the result of two processes. The first process is reversible and is independent of new protein synthesis; the second process is irreversible and requires the synthesis of new protein. During growth, under conditions of phosphate limitation, there is a slow decrease in the level of CDP glycerol pyrophosphorylase activity which is by itself not sufficient to account for the decrease in the rate of polyglycerolphosphate synthesis.