This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hornstra, L. M.
Right arrow Articles by Abee, T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hornstra, L. M.
Right arrow Articles by Abee, T.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Hornstra, L. M.
Right arrow Articles by Abee, T.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 44-53, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.44-53.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of Germination Receptors of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579

Luc M. Hornstra,1,2* Ynte P. de Vries,1,2,3 Marjon H. J. Wells-Bennik,1,{dagger} Willem M. de Vos,1 and Tjakko Abee1,3

Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences, Wageningen, The Netherlands,1 Agrotechnology and Food Innovations, Wageningen UR, Wageningen, The Netherlands,2 Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Wageningen UR, Wageningen, The Netherlands3

Received 11 May 2005/ Accepted 21 September 2005

Specific amino acids, purine ribonucleosides, or a combination of the two is required for efficient germination of endospores of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579. A survey including 20 different amino acids showed that L-alanine, L-cysteine, L-threonine, and L-glutamine are capable of initiating the germination of endospores of B. cereus ATCC 14579. In addition, the purine ribonucleosides inosine and adenosine can trigger germination of the spores. Advanced annotation of the B. cereus ATCC 14579 genome revealed the presence of seven putative germination (ger) operons, termed gerG, gerI, gerK, gerL, gerQ, gerR, and gerS. To determine the role of the encoded putative receptors in nutrient-induced germination, disruption mutants were constructed by the insertion of pMUTIN4 into each of the seven operons. Four of the seven mutants were affected in the germination response to amino acids or purine ribonucleosides, whereas no phenotype could be attributed to the mutants with disrupted gerK, gerL, and gerS loci. The strain with a disrupted gerR operon was severely hampered in the ability to germinate: germination occurred in response to L-glutamine but not in the presence of any of the other amino acids tested. The gerG mutant showed significantly reduced L-glutamine-induced germination, which points to a role of this receptor in the L-glutamine germination signaling pathway. gerR, gerI, and gerQ mutants showed reduced germination rates in the presence of inosine, suggesting a role for these operons in ribonucleoside signaling. Efficient germination by the combination of L-glutamine and inosine was shown to involve the gerG and gerI operons, since the germination of mutants lacking either one of these receptors was significantly reduced. Germination triggered by the combination of L-phenylalanine and inosine was lost in the gerI mutant, indicating that both molecules are effective at the GerI receptor.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Agrotechnology and Food Innovations, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-317-477530. Fax: 31-317-475347. E-mail: Luc.Hornstra{at}wur.nl

{dagger} Present address: NIZO food research, Ede, The Netherlands.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 44-53, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.44-53.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Hornstra, L. M., van der Voort, M., Wijnands, L. M., Roubos-van den Hil, P. J., Abee, T. (2009). Role of Germinant Receptors in Caco-2 Cell-Initiated Germination of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 Endospores. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 1201-1203 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Senior, A., Moir, A. (2008). The Bacillus cereus GerN and GerT Protein Homologs Have Distinct Roles in Spore Germination and Outgrowth, Respectively. J. Bacteriol. 190: 6148-6152 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Liang, L., He, X., Liu, G., Tan, H. (2008). The role of a purine-specific nucleoside hydrolase in spore germination of Bacillus thuringiensis. Microbiology 154: 1333-1340 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Paredes-Sabja, D., Torres, J. A., Setlow, P., Sarker, M. R. (2008). Clostridium perfringens Spore Germination: Characterization of Germinants and Their Receptors. J. Bacteriol. 190: 1190-1201 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wijnands, L. M., Dufrenne, J. B., van Leusden, F. M., Abee, T. (2007). Germination of Bacillus cereus Spores Is Induced by Germinants from Differentiated Caco-2 Cells, a Human Cell Line Mimicking the Epithelial Cells of the Small Intestine. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 5052-5054 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • van Schaik, W., van der Voort, M., Molenaar, D., Moezelaar, R., de Vos, W. M., Abee, T. (2007). Identification of the {sigma}B Regulon of Bacillus cereus and Conservation of {sigma}B-Regulated Genes in Low-GC-Content Gram-Positive Bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 189: 4384-4390 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Akoachere, M., Squires, R. C., Nour, A. M., Angelov, L., Brojatsch, J., Abel-Santos, E. (2007). Identification of an in Vivo Inhibitor of Bacillus anthracis Spore Germination. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 12112-12118 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hornstra, L. M., de Vries, Y. P., de Vos, W. M., Abee, T. (2006). Influence of Sporulation Medium Composition on Transcription of ger Operons and the Germination Response of Spores of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 3746-3749 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»