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Imaging and analysis of Bacillus anthracis spore germination
Author(s) -
Saif Zaman Mohd.,
Goyal Anita,
Prakash Dubey Gyanendra,
Gupta Pradeep K.,
Chandra Harish,
Das Taposh K.,
Ganguli Munia,
Singh Yogendra
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.20174
Subject(s) - spore , germination , bacillus anthracis , spore germination , transmission electron microscopy , ultrastructure , endospore , biology , atomic force microscopy , microbiology and biotechnology , biophysics , chemistry , botany , bacteria , materials science , nanotechnology , genetics
External and internal changes occurring during the process of germination of Bacillus anthracis spores were observed through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. AFM studies showed that in response to L‐alanine (4 mM), as a germinant, the spore germinates into a vegetative cell in 3 hours. The temporal size changes occurring during the germination were gradual but the major change in size was observed between the second and third hour. TEM of spores showed the presence of varied layers, which is in accordance with previous studies. However, the integrity of these layers was lost gradually during the process of germination. The inner spore membrane remains intact even until late stages of germination, whereas the coat, outer spore membrane, and the cortical layers are discarded at the second‐hour stage. The results indicate that sequential changes during the germination of a B. anthracis spore are similar to other species of the Bacillus group. Microsc. Res. Tech. 66:307–311, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.