| Bacillus cereus T spores, sporulated on Fortified Nutrient Agar, were extracted of the spore coat and outer membrane by 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate-100 mM dithiothreitol (SDS-DTT) in 0.1 M sodium chloride at pH 10.5 (coat-defective spores). The spore coat and/or outer membrane removal was confirmed by examination of normal and coat-defective spores for their ability to partition in n -hexadecane and transmission electron microscopy. Coat-defective spores germinated slowly and to a lesser extent than normal spores in 10 mM plus 5 mM adenosine as determined by decrease in absorbance and release of dipicolinic acid and ;The extract showed a general proteolytic, trypsin-, and lysozyme-like activities. Germination was inhibited by tosyl-arginine methyl ester and L-1-tosylamide-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone indicating that trypsin-like activity may be partially involved in the germination of B. cereus T spores.;When coat-defective spores were heat activated with the dialyzed (12,000-... |
