TABLE 2.
Mean values and standard deviations of germination parameters of committed B. subtilis PS533 spores (wild type) that had a Trelease time longer than the Tb timea
| Spore prepn (activation) | Treatment | Tlag − Tb (min) | Trelease − Tb (min) | ΔTrelease (min) | ΔTlys (min) | No. of committed spores (% committedb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plates (heat activated) | 10 mM l-valine, 2.5 min | 3.8 ± 6.8 | 7.2 ± 7.7 | 3.4 ± 1.5 | 10.6 ± 4.4 | 61 (18) |
| 10 mM l-valine, 5.0 min | 1.8 ± 4.2 | 6.4 ± 4.8 | 4.6 ± 1.5 | 13.7 ± 3.8 | 87 (30) | |
| 10 mM l-valine, 7.5 min | 0.3 ± 4.0 | 5.4 ± 4.0 | 5.1 ± 1.6 | 13.3 ± 4.7 | 44 (45) | |
| 10 mM l-valine, 10 min | −0.4 ± 5.1 | 5.5 ± 5.0 | 6.0 ± 1.8 | 13.2 ± 4.0 | 120 (47) | |
| Rich liquid (heat activated) | 10 mM l-valine, 5 min | −0.4 ± 3.8 | 3.0 ± 3.7 | 3.1 ± 1.0 | 9.6 ± 4.6 | 78 (30) |
| 3.3 mM l-valine, 5 min | −0.3 ± 3.2 | 2.6 ± 3.1 | 2.9 ± 1.0 | 12.3 ± 6.0 | 128 (47) | |
| 1 mM l-valine, 5 min | −0.1 ± 3.4 | 2.7 ± 3.3 | 2.9 ± 1.0 | 11.9 ± 4.6 | 61 (22) | |
| 0.33 mM l-valine, 5 min | −0.6 ± 0.8 | 2.0 ± 1.5 | 2.6 ± 0.9 | 8.4 ± 4.1 | 30 (11) | |
| Poor liquid (heat activated) | 10 mM l-valine, 40 min | −4.2 ± 16.4 | 14.1 ± 14.6 | 18.3 ± 7.9 | 19.7 ± 6.5 | 117 (40) |
| 3.3 mM l-valine, 40 min | 3.8 ± 15.3 | 17.3 ± 13.7 | 12.5 ± 4.7 | 16.2 ± 7.0 | 35 (8.5) | |
| 1 mM l-valine, 40 min | NA | NA | NA | NA | 4 (0.9) | |
| Rich liquid (not heat activated) | 10 mM l-valine, 5 min | −0.1 ± 3.8 | 2.8 ± 4.1 | 2.9 ± 0.7 | 9.2 ± 3.9 | 56 (18) |
| 3.3 mM l-valine, 5 min | 0.5 ± 5.7 | 3.4 ± 6.0 | 2.8 ± 0.9 | 9.1 ± 4.1 | 42 (14) | |
| 1 mM l-valine, 5 min | 0.0 ± 1.7 | 2.5 ± 1.8 | 2.5 ± 0.6 | 12.3 ± 4.2 | 27 (8) |
Spores were prepared either on plates or in rich or poor liquid media and were germinated with various l-valine concentrations with or without prior heat activation as described in Materials and Methods. Data for spores prepared on plates are from the experiments represented in Fig. 2, and data for spores made in liquid are from the experiments represented in Fig. 3. Germination was for various times, and further commitment was blocked by method B, spores were incubated further through 60 min, and germination parameters for individual spores were determined as described in Materials and Methods.
The percentage of committed spores is defined as the ratio of the number of the committed spores with Trelease > Tb to the total number of dormant spores at T0.