This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Huang, S.-s.
Right arrow Articles by Li, Y.-q.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Huang, S.-s.
Right arrow Articles by Li, Y.-q.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, July 2007, p. 4681-4687, Vol. 189, No. 13
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00282-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Levels of Ca2+-Dipicolinic Acid in Individual Bacillus Spores Determined Using Microfluidic Raman Tweezers{triangledown}

Shu-shi Huang,1,2 De Chen,1 Patricia L. Pelczar,3 Venkata Ramana Vepachedu,3 Peter Setlow,3 and Yong-qing Li1*

Department of Physics, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4353,1 Biophysics Laboratory, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi 530003, People's Republic of China,2 Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-33053

Received 21 February 2007/ Accepted 18 April 2007

Pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (dipicolinic acid [DPA]) in a 1:1 chelate with calcium ion (Ca-DPA) comprises 5 to 15% of the dry weight of spores of Bacillus species. Ca-DPA is important in spore resistance to many environmental stresses and in spore stability, and Ca-DPA levels in spore populations can vary with spore species/strains, as well as with sporulation conditions. We have measured levels of Ca-DPA in large numbers of individual spores in populations of a variety of Bacillus species and strains by using microfluidic Raman tweezers, in which a single spore is trapped in a focused laser beam and its Ca-DPA is quantitated from the intensity of the Ca-DPA-specific band at 1,017 cm–1 in Raman spectroscopy. Conclusions from these measurements include the following: (i) Ca-DPA concentrations in the spore core are >800 mM, well above Ca-DPA solubility; (ii) SpoVA proteins may be involved in Ca-DPA uptake in sporulation; and (iii) Ca-DPA levels differ significantly among individual spores in a population, but much of this variation could be due to variations in the sizes of individual spores.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Physics, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353. Phone: (252) 328-1858. Fax: (252) 328-6314. E-mail: liy{at}mail.ecu.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 27 April 2007.

Journal of Bacteriology, July 2007, p. 4681-4687, Vol. 189, No. 13
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00282-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Gut, I. M., Prouty, A. M., Ballard, J. D., van der Donk, W. A., Blanke, S. R. (2008). Inhibition of Bacillus anthracis Spore Outgrowth by Nisin. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 52: 4281-4288 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Magge, A., Granger, A. C., Wahome, P. G., Setlow, B., Vepachedu, V. R., Loshon, C. A., Peng, L., Chen, D., Li, Y.-q., Setlow, P. (2008). Role of Dipicolinic Acid in the Germination, Stability, and Viability of Spores of Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 190: 4798-4807 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Coleman, W. H., Chen, D., Li, Y.-q., Cowan, A. E., Setlow, P. (2007). How Moist Heat Kills Spores of Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 189: 8458-8466 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»