Water behavior in bacterial spores by deuterium NMR spectroscopy.

ABSTRACT: Dormant bacterial spores are able to survive long periods of time without nutrients, withstand harsh environmental conditions, and germinate into metabolically active bacteria when conditions are favorable. Numerous factors influence this hardiness, including the spore structure and the presence of compounds to protect DNA from damage. It is known that the water content of the spore core plays a role in resistance to degradation, but the exact state of water inside the core is a subject of discussion. Two main theories present themselves: either the water in the spore core is mostly immobile and the core and its components are in a glassy state, or the core is a gel with mobile water around components which themselves have limited mobility. Using deuterium solid-state NMR experiments, we e

SUBMITTER: Friedline AW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4216197 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature