FIG 2.

C. difficile spoVAD and spoVAE mutant spores initiate germination normally. Spores derived from C. difficile RS19 pEV (●), MB03 pEV (ΔspoVAD; □), MB03 pspoVAD (■), MB04 (ΔspoVAE; ◊), and MB04 pspoVAE (♦) were purified and germination was quantified by Tb³⁺ (A and C) or OD₆₀₀ (B and D). For clarity, every fifth data point is plotted. The data represent results from 3 independent biological replicates, and the error bars represent standard error of the mean. (E) We incubated 10⁸ spores derived from C. difficile CRG2359 (WT), MB03 (ΔspoVAD), and MB04 (ΔspoVAE) in buffer alone or in buffer supplemented with the germinants taurocholate and glycine, and they were then boiled in sample buffer and the proteins resolved by SDS-PAGE and probed with anti-SleC antibody. Inactive pro-SleC corresponds to the ∼32 kDa-band, while activated SleC is the ∼29-kDa band.