Dormant spores receive an unexpected wake-up call.
Germination of spores of Bacillus bacteria can be triggered by nutrients acting through receptors on the spore's inner membrane. Shah et al. (2008) now report that cell wall peptidoglycan fragments can also trigger spore germination by binding to an inner membrane-bound protein kinase.
Setlow
Peter
P
Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030-3305, USA. setlow@nso2.uchc.edu
D001407:Bacillus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases