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Observations on the Structure of Spores
Author(s) -
WYATT P. J.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1975.tb00499.x
Subject(s) - spore , scattering , light scattering , dipicolinic acid , photometer , materials science , chemistry , optics , physics , biology , botany
The differential light scattering characteristics of single spores of Bacillus sphaericus and Clostridium filamentosum were measured and recorded for several hundred different spores using an argon‐ion laser source (λ=514.5 nm) and a single‐particle light‐scattering photometer. Typical recorded light‐scattering patterns were interpreted analytically by adjusting the parameters of a spherically symmetrical model to the data using a least squares fitting procedure. The size fluctuations of the cores were very small which suggests that their structure may well be identical for different spores of the same species. The greater variability of the spore surface thickness seems to indicate that these components are loosely defined during sporulation and will certainly vary with growth conditions. Based on the observed lack of free water within the cores, a hypothesis is presented that dipicolinic acid (DPA) acts as a filler material in the core to prevent free water penetration.