Role of the gerP Operon in Germination and Outgrowth of Bacillus anthracis Spores

被引:22
作者
Carr, Katherine A. [1 ]
Janes, Brian K. [1 ]
Hanna, Philip C. [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Michigan, Sch Med, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
来源
PLOS ONE | 2010年 / 5卷 / 02期
关键词
GENOME SEQUENCE; IN-VITRO; SUBTILIS; PROTEINS; CEREUS; SPORULATION; ENDOSPORES; LOCALIZATION; SUPEROXIDE; RESISTANCE;
D O I
10.1371/journal.pone.0009128
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Germination of Bacillus anthracis spores occurs when nutrients such as amino acids or purine nucleosides stimulate specific germinant receptors located in the spore inner membrane. The gerP(ABCDEF) operon has been suggested to play a role in facilitating the interaction between germinants and their receptors in spores of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus. B. anthracis mutants containing deletions in each of the six genes belonging to the orthologue of the gerP(ABCDEF) operon, or deletion of the entire operon, were tested for their ability to germinate. Deletion of the entire gerP operon resulted in a significant delay in germination in response to nutrient germinants. These spores eventually germinated to levels equivalent to wild-type, suggesting that an additional entry point for nutrient germinants may exist. Deletions of each individual gene resulted in a similar phenotype, with the exception of Delta gerPF, which showed no obvious defect. The removal of two additional gerPF-like orthologues was necessary to achieve the germination defect observed for the other mutants. Upon physical removal of the spore coat, the mutant lacking the full gerP operon no longer exhibited a germination defect, suggesting that the GerP proteins play a role in spore coat permeability. Additionally, each of the gerP mutants exhibited a severe defect in calcium-dipicolinic acid (Ca-DPA)-dependent germination, suggesting a role for the GerP proteins in this process. Collectively, these data implicate all GerP proteins in the early stages of spore germination.
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页数:7
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