RESOLVING THE HIGH-RESOLUTION ARCHITECTURE, ASSEMBLY AND FUNCTIONAL REPERTOIRE OF BACTERIAL SYSTEMS BY IN VITRO ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY - Life at the Nanoscale: Atomic Force Microscopy of Live Cells - page 71

Chapter 4

RESOLVING THE HIGHRESOLUTION
ARCHITECTURE, ASSEMBLY AND
FUNCTIONAL REPERTOIRE OF BACTERIAL
SYSTEMS BY IN VITRO ATOMIC FORCE
MICROSCOPY

Alexander J. Malkin
Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
Livermore, CA 94551, USA
[e-mail]

4.1 PROBING THE SPORE COAT HIGHRESOLUTION
STRUCTURE AND ASSEMBLY

When starved for nutrients, cells initiate a series of

genetic, biochemical and structural events that results in the formation of
a metabolically dormant endospore.

Bacillus and Clostridium

Bacterial spores can remain dormant
for extended time periods and possess a remarkable resistance to a wide
range of environmental insults, including heat, radiation, pH extremes and
toxic chemicals.

1

Their unique structure, including a protective multilayer
spore coat, plays a major role in the maintenance of spore environmental
resistance, dormancy and germination.

1

1-3

starting from
the centre, of an inner core surrounded by the inner cytomembrane, a cortex,
outer membrane and an exterior spore coat. In some bacterial species (i.e.
Bacillus

The Bacillus bacterial spore structure ( Fig. 4.1 ) consists,

3

), the coat is surrounded by a
loosely attached exosporium. The spore core contains DNA and dipicolinic

thuringiensis and Bacillus anthracis