Fig. 2.

(A to C) Rates of DPA release from gerB* B. subtilis spores germinating with l-valine and/or l-asparagine and degree of synergy when both germinants were used. Spores of B. subtilis FB10 (has the GerB* GR) were germinated with various concentrations of l-valine and/or l-asparagine (note the different scales on the x axes in panels A and B), and rates of DPA release were determined and are given in arbitrary units (au) as described in Materials and Methods. Symbols in panels A and B: ○, l-valine germination; ▵, l-asparagine germination; •, sum of the rates with l-valine and l-asparagine germination alone; □, experimental curve with l-valine plus l-asparagine germination. Note that the FB10 spores used in this experiment were prepared separately from those used in the experiments shown in Fig. 4, 5, and 6.