Spore formation and germination are essential for the bacterial pathogen Clostridioides
difficile to transmit infection. Despite the importance of these developmental processes to the …

Endospore formation has been a rich field of research for more than a century, and has
benefited from the powerful genetic tools available in Bacillus subtilis. In this review, we …

The current classification of the phylum Firmicutes (new name, Bacillota) features eight
distinct classes, six of which include known spore-forming bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis …

Peptidoglycan is the major structural component of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall, in
which it maintains cellular integrity, is the interface with the host, and its synthesis is targeted …

Endospore formation in Bacillus subtilis provides an ideal model system for studying
development in bacteria. Sporulation studies have contributed a wealth of information about …

Sporulation is a specialized developmental program employed by a diverse set of bacteria
which culminates in the formation of dormant cells displaying increased resilience to …

The dynamic composition of the peptidoglycan cell wall has been the subject of intense
research for decades, yet how bacteria coordinate the synthesis of new peptidoglycan with …

Bacteria of the Firmicutes phylum are able to enter a developmental pathway that culminates
with the formation of highly resistant, dormant endospores. Endospores allow environmental …

Highlights•C. difficile peptidoglycan is highly deacetylated.•C. difficile peptidoglycan
contains a majority of A 2 pm 3→ A 2 pm 3 cross-links.•C. difficile peptidoglycan is modified …

Spore germination in Clostridioides difficile is initiated by a cascade of activities of several
proteins that culminates in the activation of SleC, a cell-wall-processing enzyme. We report …