The product of the yvoC (gerF) gene of Bacillus subtilis is required for spore germination.

All known gerF mutations affecting Bacillus subtilis spore germination have been mapped, by a combination of recombination and complementation analysis, to yvoC (Igt), a gene belonging to the yvoB (ptsK) yvoC (Igt) yvoDEF operon. Examination of the properties of null mutants confirmed that the only gene in the operon that affects germination is yvoC, which encodes a homologue of known prelipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferases. As several germination proteins (GerAC, GerBC, GerKC, GerD) are predicted lipoproteins, it is not unreasonable to assume that a defect in prelipoprotein processing will affect spore germination. Two other null mutants in this chromosomal region showed a clear phenotype: the nagA gene is required for growth on N-acetylglucosamine, whereas a null mutation in yvoB (ptsK) affects colony formation from single cells.