Bacillus spore germination: Knowns, unknowns and what we need to learn.
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Publication Date
2020-10Journal Title
Cell Signal
ISSN
0898-6568
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
74
Pages
109729
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Physical Medium
Print-Electronic
Metadata
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Christie, G., & Setlow, P. (2020). Bacillus spore germination: Knowns, unknowns and what we need to learn.. Cell Signal, 74 109729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cellsig.2020.109729
Abstract
How might a microbial cell that is entirely metabolically dormant - and which has the ability to remain so for extended periods of time - irreversibly commit itself to resuming vegetative growth within seconds of being exposed to certain amino acids or sugars? That this process takes place in the absence of any detectable ATP or de novo protein synthesis, and relies upon a pre-formed apparatus that is immobilised, respectively, in a semi-crystalline membrane or multi-layered proteinaceous coat, only exacerbates the challenge facing spores of Bacillales species when stimulated to germinate. Whereas the process by which spores are formed in response to nutrient starvation - sporulation - involves the orchestrated interplay between hundreds of distinct proteins, the process by which spores return to life - germination - is a much simpler affair, requiring a handful of receptor and channel proteins complemented with specialized peptidoglycan lysins. Despite this relative simplicity, and research effort spanning many decades, comprehensive understanding of key molecular and biochemical details and, in particular signal transduction mechanisms associated with spore germination, has remained elusive. In this review we provide an up to date overview of the field while identifying what we consider to be the key gaps in knowledge associated with germination of Bacillales spores, suggesting also technical approaches that may provide fresh insight to this unique biological process.
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cellsig.2020.109729
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/308735
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Licence URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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