The germination of spore-forming bacteria in high-salinity environments is of applied interest for food microbiology and soil ecology. It has previously been shown that high salt concentrations detrimentally affect Bacillus subtilis spore germination, rendering this process slower and less efficient. The mechanistic details of these salt effects, however, remained obscure. Since initiation of n...

The role of spore dispersal mutualism remains equivocal in many fungus-insect assemblages. We tested experimentally whether an obligate spore-feeding beetle Zearagytodes maculifer has a mutualistic relationship with its host bracket fungus Ganoderma cf. applanatum via spore dispersal. We asked three specific questions: (1) whether or not Ganoderma spore germination rate is increased via beetle ...

Two distinct proteolytic systems have been detected during germination of Bacillus megaterium spores: one degrading a unique class of dormant spore proteins and the other degrading primarily protein synthesized during germination. Proteolysis of dormant spore protein began by the 3rd min of germination and by 25 min had degraded 15 to 20% of the pre-existing protein to free amino acids. This re...

Two distinct proteolytic systems have been detected during germination of Bacillus megaterium spores: one degrading a unique class of dormant spore proteins and the other degrading primarily protein synthesized during germination. Proteolysis of dormant spore protein began by the 3rd min of germination and by 25 min had degraded 15 to 20% of the pre-existing protein to free amino acids. This re...

In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of spore inactivation by high pressure at moderate temperatures to optimize the sterilization efficiency of high-pressure treatments. Bacillus subtilis spores were first subjected to different pressure treatments ranging from 90 to 550 MPa at 40°C, with holding times from 10 min to 4 h. These treatments alone caused slight inactivation, which was re...

Spore-forming bacteria are a special problem for the food industry as some of them are able to survive preservation processes. Bacillus spp. spores can remain in a dormant, stress resistant state for a long period of time. Vegetative cells are formed by germination of spores followed by a more extended outgrowth phase. Spore germination and outgrowth progression are often very heterogeneous and...

Two peptidoglycan-lytic enzyme activities were isolated from spores of Bacillus megaterium KM. Surface-bound lytic enzyme was extracted from dormant spores and hydrolysed a variety of peptidoglycan substrates including isolated spore cortex, but did not cause refractility changes in permeabilized spores. Germination-specific lytic enzyme activity appeared early in germination and had minimal ac...

Essential oils have antifungal and antipathogenic effects and therefore are targets in plant pathology research for their potential uses as natural substitutes for inorganic plant pesticides. Beauveria bassiana, an entomopathogenic fungus, can endophytically colonize a vast number of plant species and trigger induced systemic resistance against plant pathogens. Spore germination is the most vul...

Bacterial spore formation has a major impact on medicine and agriculture, and its analysis has uncovered new paradigms for understanding bacterial physiology, cell biology, and gene regulation. The existence of bacterial endospores was recognized in the 1800s by both Maximilian Perty and Louis Pasteur, and spore formation and germination in Bacillus were reported by Ferdinand Cohn and by Robert...