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Plasmid-encoded genes influence exosporium assembly and morphology in Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 spores.


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Authors

Manetsberger, Julia 
Hall, Elizabeth AH 

Abstract

Spores of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 are encased in a morphologically distinctive exosporium. We demonstrate here that genes encoded on the indigenous pBM500 and pBM600 plasmids are required for exosporium assembly and or stability in spores of this strain. Bioinformatic analyses identified genes encoding orthologues of the B. cereus-family exosporium nap and basal layer proteins within the B. megaterium genome. Transcriptional analyses, supported by electron and fluorescent microscopy, indicate that the pole-localized nap, identified here for the first time in B. megaterium QM B1551 spores, is comprised of the BclA1 protein. The role of the BxpB protein, which forms the basal layer of the exosporium in B. cereus spores, is less clear since spores of a null mutant strain display an apparently normal morphology. Retention of the localized nap in bxpB null spores suggests that B. megaterium employs an alternative mechanism to that used by B. cereus spores in anchoring the nap to the spore surface.

Description

Keywords

Bacillus, exosporium, hairy nap, indigenous plasmids, spores, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megaterium, Bacterial Proteins, Cell Wall, Computational Biology, Genes, Bacterial, Membrane Glycoproteins, Microscopy, Electron, Transmission, Microscopy, Fluorescence, Mutation, Plasmids, Spores, Bacterial

Journal Title

FEMS Microbiol Lett

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0378-1097
1574-6968

Volume Title

362

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)
Sponsorship
Julia Manetsberger was the recipient of an EPSRC Doctoral Training grant. The assistance of Dr. Jeremy Skepper (University of Cambridge), Caitlin Brumby and Professor Per Bullough (both University of Sheffield) with electron microscopy work is gratefully acknowledged. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.