Glutamate catabolism during sporulation determines the success of the future spore germination

Bacterial spores can preserve cellular dormancy for years, but still hold the remarkable ability to revive and recommence life. This cellular awakening begins with a rapid and irreversible event termed germination; however, the metabolic determinants required for its success have been hardly explored. Here, we show that at the onset of the process of sporulation, the metabolic enzyme RocG catabolizes glutamate, facilitating ATP production in the spore progenitor cell, and subsequently influencing the eventual spore ATP reservoir. Mutants displaying low RocG levels generate low ATP-containing spores that exhibit severe germination deficiency. Importantly, this phenotype could be complemented by expressing RocG at a specific window of time during the initiation of sporulation. Thus, we propose that despite its low abundance in dormant spores, ATP energizes spore germination, and its production, fueled by RocG, is coupled with the initial developmental phase of spore formation.