title: The sps Gene Products Affect the Germination, Hydrophobicity, and Protein Adsorption of Bacillus subtilis Spores.
abstract: The multilayered surface of the Bacillus subtilis spore is composed of proteins and glycans. While over 70 different proteins have been identified as surface components, carbohydrates associated with the spore surface have not been characterized in detail yet. Bioinformatic data suggest that the 11 products of the sps operon are involved in the synthesis of polysaccharides present on the spore surface, but an experimental validation is available only for the four distal genes of the operon. Here, we report a transcriptional analysis of the sps operon and a functional study performed by constructing and analyzing two null mutants lacking either all or only the promoter-proximal gene of the operon. Our results show that both sps mutant spores apparently have normal coat and crust but have a small germination defect and are more hydrophobic than wild-type spores. We also show that spores lacking all Sps proteins are highly adhesive and form extensive clumps. In addition, sps mutant spores have an increased efficiency in adsorbing a heterologous enzyme, suggesting that hydrophobic force is a major determinant of spore adsorption and indicating that a deep understanding of the surface properties of the spore is essential for its full development as a surface display platform.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cangiano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Teja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sirec
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Panarella
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Rachele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Isticato
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baccigalupi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurilio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Felice
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy ericca@unina.it.
authors.forename: Ezio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ricca
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D009876:Operon; D011485:Protein Binding; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins