Role of Outer Coat in Resistance of Bacillus megaterium Spore

The outer coat fraction (OC-Fr) of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 12872 spore was isolated as a resistant residue after alkali extraction, sonic treatment, and pronase digestion of the spore coat preparation, and its backbone structure was determined by chemical analysis to be composed of galactosamine-6-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of biochemistry (Tokyo) 1989-08, Vol.106 (2), p.270-273
Main Authors: Nishihara, Tsutomu, Takubo, Yoshihiro, Kawamata, Etsako, Koshikawa, Tomihiko, Ogaki, Junji, Kondo, Masaomi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacillus megaterium - analysis
Bacillus megaterium - physiology
Bacterial Proteins - analysis
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Calcium
Cell Wall - analysis
Cell Wall - physiology
Chemical Phenomena
Chemistry
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hot Temperature
Hydrogen
Hydrolysis
Ion Exchange
Microbiology
Molecular Weight
Morphology, structure, chemical composition
Oligosaccharides - analysis
Oligosaccharides - isolation & purification
Spores, Bacterial - analysis
Strontium
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Summary:The outer coat fraction (OC-Fr) of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 12872 spore was isolated as a resistant residue after alkali extraction, sonic treatment, and pronase digestion of the spore coat preparation, and its backbone structure was determined by chemical analysis to be composed of galactosamine-6-phosphate (GalN-P) polymers with polypeptides and calcium. OC-Fr was not fully solubilized after ordinary acid hydrolysis. OC-Fr was insensitive to all hexosaminidases tested, and moreover, an isolated fragment, a pentamer of GalN-P, was also resistant to lysozyme and hexosaminidases even after iV-acetylation, being sensitive to them to some extent after dephosphorylation. Molecular sieving experiments revealed that the outer coat limited the entry of compounds with a molecular weight of more than 2, 000. Exchange of the metal on the spore surface also influenced the heat resistance. Spores of OC-Fr-deficient mutants were less resistant but were still much more resistant than the vegetative cells. These results suggest that the outer coat protects the contents of the spore against chemical, physical and enzymatic treatments owing to the chemical structure itself, composed mainly of GalN-P polymers, and the molecular sieving effect.
ISSN:0021-924X
1756-2651
DOI:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a122843