title: Involvement of calcium in germination of coat-modified spores of Bacillus cereus T.
abstract: The effect of calcium on germination of coat-modified Bacillus cereus T spores was investigated. Coat-modified spores produced either by chemical extraction (SDS-DTT-treated spores) or by mutagenesis (10LD mutant spores) were unable to germinate in response to inosine. While SDS-DTT-treated spores could germinate slowly in the presence of L-alanine, 10LD mutant spores could not germinate at all. The lost or reduced germinability of coat-modified spores was restored when exogenous Ca2+ was supplemented to the germination media. The calcium requirement of coat-modified spores for germination was fairly specific. The simultaneous presence of germinant with Ca2+ was also required for germination of coat-modified spores. The optimal recovery of germinability was observed in the presence of 1.0 mM of calcium acetate. The calcium requirement itself was remarkably diminished under the condition in which L-alanine and a certain purine nucleoside analog, adenosine or inosine, coexisted. The lost or diminished germinability observed in SDS-DTT-treated spores or 10LD mutant spores may be attributed to the loss of calcium associated with the spore integuments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osato
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000494:pharmacology; D007288:Inosine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009154:Mutation; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D007288:Inosine; D000409:Alanine; D002118:Calcium; D004229:Dithiothreitol