bacterial spores Archives

Fluorescence microscopy images of Bacillus subtilis spores harboring GFP or Scarlet fusion to a DNA packaging protein (SspA) CREDIT Bing Zhou

Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Unlocking Long-term Genetic Memory: Dormant Bacterial Spores Offer Key Insights Into Evolutionary Survival Strategies

by Keith CowingNovember 27, 2023November 27, 2023

A recent study spearheaded by Prof. Sigal Ben Yehuda and her team at Hebrew University has unveiled a captivating facet of bacterial dormancy. This research illuminates the mechanism through which […]

Fig. 2. Evidence that GerAA forms a membrane channel. (A) Predicted structure of the GerAA (red), GerAB (cyan), and GerAC (purple) trimers. Topology is based on protease accessibility studies of GerAC and GerAA (10, 38). TM3, the lumen-adjacent helix in GerAA, is labeled. (B) Predicted GerAA pentamer as viewed from outside the spore. Protomers are shown in dark and light gray and red. (C) EC residue pairs in GerAA are plotted as black circles. Intra-protomer (blue circles) and interprotomer (orange circles) residue pairs that are ≤5 Å apart in the predicted GerAA pentamer are shown. (D) Space-filling model of the predicted pentamer of trimers. (E) Predicted pore (light blue) in the GerAA pentamer. Only three GerAA protomers are shown for clarity. (F) Top view of the GerAA hexamer model showing the concentric TM rings surrounding the channel. V362 is highlighted. -- Science

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release

How Dormant Bacteria Come Back To Life

by Keith CowingApril 27, 2023April 27, 2023

Solving a riddle that has confounded biologists since bacterial spores — inert, sleeping bacteria — were first described more than 150 years ago, researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered […]