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Resistance of Bacillus endospores to extreme terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments
W L Nicholson1, N Munakata, G Horneck
1Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA. wln@u.arizona.edu
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR
|September 7, 2000
Abstract:
Endospores of Bacillus spp., especially Bacillus subtilis, have served as experimental models for exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying the incredible longevity of spores and their resistance to environmental insults. In this review we summarize the molecular laboratory model of spore resistance mechanisms and attempt to use the model as a basis for exploration of the resistance of spores to environmental extremes both on Earth and during postulated interplanetary transfer through space as a result of natural impact processes.
Keywords:
Non-programmatic