Biochemical studies of bacterial sporulation and germination. XII. A sulfonic acid as a major sulfur compound of Bacillus subtilis spores.

A sulfonic acid found to be a major constituent of spores of Bacillus subtilis was provisionally identified as 3-l-sulfolactic acid. This compound was completely absent from vegetative cells during growth, but large amounts accumulated in sporulating cells just before the development of refractile spores. Essentially all of the accumulated sulfolactic acid was eventually incorporated into the nature spore, where it may represent more than 5% of the dry weight of the spore. Germination resulted in the rapid and complete release into the medium of unaltered sulfolactic acid. This compound was not found in spores of Bacillus megaterium, B. cereus, or B. thuringiensis.