SPO14, encoding the major Saccharomyces cerevisiae phospholipase D (PLD), is essential for sporulation and mediates synthesis of the new membrane that encompasses the haploid nuclei that arise through meiotic divisions. PLD catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidic acid (PA) and choline. PA stimulates Arf-GTPase-activating proteins (Arf-GAPs), which are involved in membran...

Biofilms are architecturally complex communities of microorganisms in which the cells are held together by an extracellular matrix, typically containing exopolysaccharides (EPSs), proteins and some nucleic acids. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in biofilm formation has increased tremendously in recent years. However, information about biofilm formation and sporulation is ...

The whiA sporulation gene of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), which plays a key role in switching aerial hyphae away from continued extension growth and toward sporulation septation, was cloned by complementation of whiA mutants. DNA sequencing of the wild-type allele and five whiA mutations verified that whiA is a gene encoding a protein with homologues in all gram-positive bacteria whose genome...

Sigma factor F is the first forespore specific transcription factor in Bacillus subtilis and controls genes required for the early stages of prespore development. The role of sigF is well studied under conditions that induce sporulation. Here, the impact of sigF disruption on the transcriptome of exponentially growing cultures is studied by micro-array analysis. Under these conditions that typi...

Endospore formation follows a complex, highly regulated developmental pathway that occurs in a broad range of Firmicutes. Although Bacillus subtilis has served as a powerful model system to study the morphological, biochemical, and genetic determinants of sporulation, fundamental aspects of the program remain mysterious for other genera. For example, it is entirely unknown how most lineages wit...

22 The impact of Bacillus weihenstephanensis KBAB4 sporulation temperature 23 history was assessed on spore heat resistance, germination and outgrowth capacity at a 24 temperature range from 7 to 30°C. Sporulation rate and efficiency decreased at low 25 temperature, as cells sporulated at 12, 20 and 30°C with approximately 99% 26 efficiency, whereas at 7°C and 10°C, a maximum 15% of sporulation...

Starving Bacillus subtilis cells execute a gene expression program resulting in the formation of stress-resistant spores. Sporulation master regulator, Spo0A, is activated by a phosphorelay and controls the expression of a multitude of genes, including the forespore-specific sigma factor σ(F) and the mother cell-specific sigma factor σ(E). Identification of the system-level mechanism of the spo...

Day, Lawrence E. (Michigan State University, East Lansing), and Ralph N. Costilow. Physiology of the sporulation process in Clostridium botulinum. I. Correlation of morphological changes with catabolic activities, synthesis of dipicolinic acid, and development of heat resistance. J. Bacteriol. 88:690-694. 1964.-A reasonable degree of synchrony in the sporulation of Clostridium botulinum 62-A wa...

In this study, various mineral supplements, such as chloride salts (CaCl2, MgCl2, MnCl2, FeCl2 and KCl) supplying cations and calcium salts (CaCl2, CaCO3, CaSO4, Ca(OH)2 and CaHPO4) supplying anions, were tested if they could stimulate the sporulation of Clostridium sporogenes, a surrogate microorganism for C. botulinum. Of the cations tested, the addition of CaCl2 showed a slightly, but not si...

Competence development and sporulation in B. subtilis are partly controlled by peptides that accumulate in culture medium as cells grow to high density. We constructed two genes that encode mature forms of two different signaling molecules, the PhrA peptide that stimulates sporulation, and CSF, the competence- and sporulation-stimulating factor. Both pentapeptides are normally produced by secre...