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Journal of Bacteriology, November 2003, p. 6255-6261, Vol. 185, No. 21
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.21.6255-6261.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Morphogenesis of Bacillus Spore Surfaces

Venkata G. R. Chada,1 Erik A. Sanstad,2 Rong Wang,1 and Adam Driks2*

Department of Biological, Chemical, and Physical Sciences, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616,1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 601532

Received 2 June 2003/ Accepted 13 August 2003

Spores produced by bacilli are encased in a proteinaceous multilayered coat and, in some species (including Bacillus anthracis), further surrounded by a glycoprotein-containing exosporium. To characterize bacillus spore surface morphology and to identify proteins that direct formation of coat surface features, we used atomic-force microscopy (AFM) to image the surfaces of wild-type and mutant spores of Bacillus subtilis, as well as the spore surfaces of Bacillus cereus 569 and the Sterne strain of Bacillus anthracis. This analysis revealed that the coat surfaces in these strains are populated by a series of bumps ranging between 7 and 40 nm in diameter, depending on the species. Furthermore, a series of ridges encircled the spore, most of which were oriented along the long axis of the spore. The structures of these ridges differ sufficiently between species to permit species-specific identification. We propose that ridges are formed early in spore formation, when the spore volume likely decreases, and that when the spore swells during germination the ridges unfold. AFM analysis of a set of B. subtilis coat protein gene mutants revealed three coat proteins with roles in coat surface morphology: CotA, CotB, and CotE. Our data indicate novel roles for CotA and CotB in ridge pattern formation. Taken together, these results are consistent with the view that the coat is not inert. Rather, the coat is a dynamic structure that accommodates changes in spore volume.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Medical Center, 2160 S. First Ave., Maywood, IL 60153. Phone: (708) 216-3706. Fax: (708) 216-9574. E-mail: adriks{at}lumc.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, November 2003, p. 6255-6261, Vol. 185, No. 21
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.21.6255-6261.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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