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Journal of Bacteriology, February 2007, p. 1090-1098, Vol. 189, No. 3
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01606-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Role of GerD in Germination of Bacillus subtilis Spores

Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3305

Received 15 October 2006/ Accepted 14 November 2006

Spores of a Bacillus subtilis strain with a gerD deletion mutation (gerD) responded much slower than wild-type spores to nutrient germinants, although they did ultimately germinate, outgrow, and form colonies. Spores lacking GerD and nutrient germinant receptors also germinated slowly with nutrients, as did gerD spores in which nutrient receptors were overexpressed. The germination defect of gerD spores was not suppressed by many changes in the sporulation or germination conditions. Germination of gerD spores was also slower than that of wild-type spores with a pressure of 150 MPa, which triggers spore germination through nutrient receptors. Ectopic expression of gerD suppressed the slow germination of gerD spores with nutrients, but overexpression of GerD did not increase rates of spore germination. Loss of GerD had no effect on spore germination induced by agents that do not act through nutrient receptors, including a 1:1 chelate of Ca²⁺ and dipicolinic acid, dodecylamine, lysozyme in hypertonic medium, a pressure of 500 MPa, and spontaneous germination of spores that lack all nutrient receptors. Deletion of GerD's putative signal peptide or change of its likely diacylglycerylated cysteine residue to alanine reduced GerD function. The latter findings suggest that GerD is located in a spore membrane, most likely the inner membrane, where the nutrient receptors are located. All these data suggest that, while GerD is not essential for nutrient germination, this protein has an important role in spores' rapid response to nutrient germinants, by either direct interaction with nutrient receptors or some signal transduction essential for germination.

Published ahead of print on 22 November 2006.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Pelczar, P. L., Setlow, P. (2008). Localization of the Germination Protein GerD to the Inner Membrane in Bacillus subtilis Spores. J. Bacteriol. 190: 5635-5641 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Huang, S.-s., Chen, D., Pelczar, P. L., Vepachedu, V. R., Setlow, P., Li, Y.-q. (2007). Levels of Ca2+-Dipicolinic Acid in Individual Bacillus Spores Determined Using Microfluidic Raman Tweezers. J. Bacteriol. 189: 4681-4687 [Abstract] [Full Text]