title: Screening for Bacillus subtilis mutants deficient in pressure induced spore germination: identification of ykvU as a novel germination gene.
abstract: Exposure to high pressure induces germination in spores of Bacillus subtilis. To investigate the mechanisms of this process and to compare the pressure and nutrient induced germination pathways, a random transposon knock-out library of B. subtilis was constructed and screened for clones with a compromised pressure induced germination at 100 MPa. Two mutants were isolated and their transposon insertion was mapped to gerAC and ykvU respectively. While GerAC is required for production of the l-alanine receptor which has been implicated in pressure-induced germination before, YkvU is shown here to be a novel germination determinant in B. subtilis, affecting germination by high (100 MPa) and very high (600 MPa) pressure, by nutrients and by dodecylamine, but not by Ca(2+)-dipicolinic acid.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 22, B-3001 Heverlee, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Abram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aertsen
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Van Opstal
authors.forename: Suzy C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Vanmuysen
authors.forename: Elke Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Wuytack
authors.forename: Chris W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Michiels
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines / Q000494:pharmacology; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D009154:Mutation; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; C003935:dodecylamine