In vitro High-Resolution Structural Dynamics of Single Germinating Bacterial Spores

Although significant progress has been achieved in understanding the genetic and biochemical bases of the spore germination process, the structural basis for breaking the dormant spore state remains poorly understood. We have used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe the high-resolution structural...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2007-06, Vol.104 (23), p.9644-9649
Main Authors: Plomp, Marco, Leighton, Terrance J., Wheeler, Katherine E., Hill, Haley D., Malkin, Alexander J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amyloids
Bacillus
Bacteria
Bacterial spores
Biological Sciences
Cell walls
Fungal spores
Germ cells
Germination
Imaging
Microscopy
Microscopy, Atomic Force
Molecular structure
Peptidoglycan - metabolism
Peptidoglycan - ultrastructure
Somatic cells
Spore germination
Spores
Spores, Bacterial - growth & development
Spores, Bacterial - ultrastructure
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although significant progress has been achieved in understanding the genetic and biochemical bases of the spore germination process, the structural basis for breaking the dormant spore state remains poorly understood. We have used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe the high-resolution structural dynamics of single Bacillus atrophaeus spores germinating under native conditions. Here, we show that AFM can reveal previously unrecognized germination-induced alterations in spore coat architecture and topology as well as the disassembly of outer spore coat rodlet structures. These results and previous studies in other microorganisms suggest that the spore coat rodlets are structurally similar to amyloid fibrils. AFM analysis of the nascent surface of the emerging germ cell revealed a porous network of peptidoglycan fibers. The results are consistent with a honeycomb model structure for synthetic peptidoglycan oligomers determined by NMR. AFM is a promising experimental tool for investigating the morphogenesis of spore germination and cell wall peptidoglycan structure.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0610626104