Involvement of Coat Proteins in Bacillus subtilis Spore Germination in High-Salinity Environments.

ABSTRACT: The germination of spore-forming bacteria in high-salinity environments is of applied interest for food microbiology and soil ecology. It has previously been shown that high salt concentrations detrimentally affect Bacillus subtilis spore germination, rendering this process slower and less efficient. The mechanistic details of these salt effects, however, remained obscure. Since initiation of nutrient germination first requires germinant passage through the spores' protective integuments, the aim of this study was to elucidate the role of the proteinaceous spore coat in germination in high-salinity environments. Spores lacking major layers of the coat due to chemical decoating or mutation germinated much worse in the presence of NaCl than untreated wild-type spores at comparable salinities

SUBMITTER: Nagler K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4561714 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature