ArticleNature communications2021
Dormant spores sense amino acids through the B subunits of their germination receptors.
Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genome shuffling enables quantitative trait locus mapping in Bacillus subtilis.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Dry versus wet dormancy: suspended lives ofmSystems · 2026Review
- A mathematical kinetic model of memory iniScience · 2026Article
- Structural and functional analysis of themBio · 2026Article
- The CspC:CspA heterodimer transduces germinant and co-germinant signals during Clostridioides difficile spore germination.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Genomic insights into the functional and metabolic versatility of gut microbiomeMicrobial genomics · 2026Article
- GerAB residues predicted to interact with water based on MD simulations mediate germinosome stability inFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth Promotion.Microbial biotechnology · 2025Article
- Germination ofJournal of bacteriology · 2025Article
- Characterization of germinant receptors ofCurrent research in microbial sciences · 2025Article
- Genomic identification of germinant receptors and phenotypic response to germinants inCurrent research in microbial sciences · 2025Article
- GerAB residues predicted to interfere with water passage based on steered molecular dynamics are key to germinosome functionality.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Emergence of dauer larvae in Caenorhabditis elegans disrupts continuity of host-microbiome interactions.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2024Article
- Microbial life in slow and stopped lanes.Trends in microbiology · 2024Review
- Biocomposite thermoplastic polyurethanes containing evolved bacterial spores as living fillers to facilitate polymer disintegration.Nature communications · 2024Article
- SpoVAF and FigP assemble into oligomeric ion channels that enhance spore germination.Genes & development · 2024Article
- A unique sigma/anti-sigma system in the actinomycete Actinoplanes missouriensis.Nature communications · 2023Article
- A Family of Spore Lipoproteins Stabilizes the Germination Apparatus by Altering Inner Spore Membrane Fluidity inJournal of bacteriology · 2023Article
- Article
- Spatial transcriptome uncovers rich coordination of metabolism in E. coli K12 biofilm.Nature chemical biology · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Bacteria from the orders Bacillales and Clostridiales differentiate into stress-resistant spores that can remain dormant for years, yet rapidly germinate upon nutrient sensing. How spores monitor nutrients is poorly understood but in most cases requires putative membrane receptors. The prototypical receptor from Bacillus subtilis consists of three proteins (GerAA, GerAB, GerAC) required for germination in response to L-alanine. GerAB belongs to the Amino Acid-Polyamine-Organocation superfamily of transporters. Using evolutionary co-variation analysis, we provide evidence that GerAB adopts a structure similar to an L-alanine transporter from this superfamily. We show that mutations in gerAB predicted to disrupt the ligand-binding pocket impair germination, while mutations predicted to function in L-alanine recognition enable spores to respond to L-leucine or L-serine. Finally, substitutions of bulkier residues at these positions cause constitutive germination. These data suggest that GerAB is the L-alanine sensor and that B subunits in this broadly conserved family function in nutrient detection.
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