TABLE 3.

Cooperation between GerA and GerB in spore germination with amino acids and cogerminants^a

Germinant	Relative rates of spore germination with indicated strain, receptors, and cogerminantb
	PS832 (GerA GerB GerK)			FB20 (GerB GerK)			FB60 (GerA GerK)			FB68 (GerA GerB)
	−	FK	GFK	−	FK	GFK	−	FK	GFK	−	FK	GFK
l-Ala	22	26	40	<2	<2	<2	19	21	43	22	21	20
l-Val	11	15	35	<2	<2	<2	10	11	30	13	17	15
l-Asn	<2	<2	49	<2	<2	46	<2	<2	<2	<2	<2	<2
l-Asn + l-Ala	23	82	100c	<2	<2	50	18	21	42	20	74	78
l-Val + l-Asn	12	76	105	<2	<2	47	9	11	31	13	97	89

^aSpores were germinated with combinations of 33 μM l-alanine, 1 mM l-valine, 2 mM l-asparagine, 10 mM fructose, 10 mM KCl, and 10 mM glucose, and rates of germination were measured and calculated as described in Materials and Methods.

^bAbbreviations used are as follows: −, no cogerminants added; FK, fructose and KCl; GFK, glucose, fructose, and KCl. Rates of germination are expressed relative to the value for PS832 spores germinating with l-alanine, l-asparagine, and GFK, and this value was set at 100. Boldface type indicates low concentrations of l-alanine, italic type indicates low concentrations of l-valine and underlining indicates low concentrations of l-asparagine. Underlined, boldface type indicates that fructose and K⁺ in the presence of l-asparagine and low concentrations of l-valine (1 mM) or l-alanine (10 or 33 mM) gave three- to fivefold stimulations in rates of spore germination over those given by l-alanine or l-valine alone. Boldface, italic type indicates that with spores that have only GerA and GerB (strain FB68), the stimulation of germination by GFK plus l-asparagine and either l-alanine or l-valine was essentially identical to that seen with fructose and K⁺ plus l-asparagine and either l-alanine or l-valine.

^cValue set at 100.