title: Germination of Bacillus cereus spores in response to L-alanine and to inosine: the roles of gerL and gerQ operons.
abstract: Bacillus cereus 569 (ATCC 10876) endospores germinate in response to inosine or L-alanine, the most rapid germination response being elicited by a combination of these germinants. The gerI operon has already been characterized as a homologue of the gerA spore-germination receptor family of operons found in all Bacillus spp. examined; the primary defect in gerI mutant spores is in the inosine germination response, although spores were also slower to germinate in L-alanine. Additional transposon-insertion mutants, from similar Tn917-LTV1 mutagenesis and enrichment experiments, now define two more operons, also members of the family of gerA homologues, important in L-alanine and inosine germination. Transposon insertions were identified in an alanine-specific germination locus, named gerL, which represents an operon of three genes, termed gerLA, gerLB and gerLC. By examining the residual germination response to L-alanine in gerI and gerL mutants, it was deduced that the GerL proteins contribute most strongly to the L-alanine germination response, and that the GerI proteins, required primarily in inosine germination, mediate only much slower germination responses to alanine. The L-alanine germination responses mediated by GerL and GerI proteins differ in their germination rates, temperature optima and germinant concentration dependence. The gerQ locus, again identified by transposon insertion, is a second inosine-related germinant-receptor operon. GerQ and GerI proteins are both required for the germination response to inosine as sole germinant, but GerQ has no role in L-alanine germination. Although near-identical homologues of gerI and gerL operons are evident in the Bacillus anthracis genome sequence, there is no evidence of a close homologue of gerQ.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK1.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Barlass
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK1.
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Houston
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK1.
authors.forename: Mark O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Clements
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK1.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moir
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007288:Inosine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009876:Operon; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007288:Inosine; D000409:Alanine