Investigation of a Ubiquitous Spore Surface Protein

All bacterial spores are comprised of concentric shells. All spores are encased in a layer called the coat. Some spores have an additional layer outside of the coat called the exosporium. Presumably, this morphological variation is an adaptation to variation in the environments in which these species can be found. However, spores from species with and without exosporia can often be found in the same niche. We hypothesize, therefore, that spores with and without exosporia share a common surface protein. Bacillus anthracis possess a well characterized surface protein called BclA. A BclA homologue is also present on the surface of spores of species closely related to B. anthracis. BclA has also been found on the spore surface of Clostridium difficile. In this thesis, I have addressed the hypothesis that BclA is a ubiquitous spore-surface protein