Release of small molecules during germination of spores of Bacillus Species

Abstract

Free amino acids, dipicolinic acid, and unidentified small molecules were released early in Bacillus spore germination before hydrolysis of the peptidoglycan cortex, but adenine nucleotides and 3-phosphoglycerate were not. These results indicate that early in germination there is a major selective change in the permeability of the spore's inner membrane.