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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Detecting Cortex Fragments During Bacterial Spore Germination
Published on: June 25, 2016
The Clostridium botulinum GerAB germination protein is located in the inner membrane of spores
François Alberto1, Lucien Botella, Fréderic Carlin
1INRA UMR A408 Sécurité et Qualité des Produits d'Origine Végétale, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Domaine Saint-Paul, Site Agroparc, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France.
Abstract:
Clostridium botulinum dormant spores germinate in presence of l-alanine via a specific receptor composed of GerAA, GerAB and GerAC proteins. In Bacillus subtilis spores, GerAA and GerAC proteins were located in the inner membrane of the spore. We studied the location of the GerAB protein in C. botulinum spore fractions by Western-blot analysis, using an antipeptidic antibody. The protein GerAB was in vitro translated and used to confirm the specificity of the antibodies. GerAB was not present in a coat and spore outer membrane fraction but was present in a fraction of decoated spores containing inner membrane. These results strongly suggest that the protein GerAB is located in the inner membrane of the spore.
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