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Journal of Bacteriology, September 1999, p. 5350-5354, Vol. 181, No. 17
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Direct Probing of the Surface Ultrastructure and Molecular Interactions of Dormant and Germinating Spores of Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Yves F. Dufrêne,1,* Christophe J. P. Boonaert,1 Patrick A. Gerin,1 Marcel Asther,2 and Paul G. Rouxhet1

Unité de Chimie des Interfaces, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium,1 and Laboratoire de Biotechnologie des Champignons Filamenteux, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Faculté des Sciences de Luminy, F-13288 Marseille, France2

Received 15 April 1999/Accepted 22 June 1999

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to probe, under physiological conditions, the surface ultrastructure and molecular interactions of spores of the filamentous fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium. High-resolution images revealed that the surface of dormant spores was uniformly covered with rodlets having a periodicity of 10 ± 1 nm, which is in agreement with earlier freeze-etching measurements. In contrast, germinating spores had a very smooth surface partially covered with rough granular structures. Force-distance curve measurements demonstrated that the changes in spore surface ultrastructure during germination are correlated with profound modifications of molecular interactions: while dormant spores showed no adhesion with the AFM probe, germinating spores exhibited strong adhesion forces, of 9 ± 2 nN magnitude. These forces are attributed to polysaccharide binding and suggested to be responsible for spore aggregation. This study represents the first direct characterization of the surface ultrastructure and molecular interactions of living fungal spores at the nanometer scale and offers new prospects for mapping microbial cell surface properties under native conditions.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Unité de Chimie des Interfaces, Université Catholique de Louvain, Place Croix du Sud 2/18, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Phone: (32) 10 47 35 89. Fax: (32) 10 47 20 05. E-mail: dufrene{at}cifa.ucl.ac.be.

Journal of Bacteriology, September 1999, p. 5350-5354, Vol. 181, No. 17
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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