Structure and function of the Clostridium botulinum spore

This is a cross-disciplinary collaboration building on recent work (Terry et al., 2017; Jiang et al., 2015; Janganan et al. 2016 - joint publication) and the award of a joint BBSRC grant to PAB and RF (2017). Both applicants have a strong track record in applying complementary approaches of imaging and molecular biology to bacterial cell surface structures.
Our aim is to understand the mechanics of Clostridium botulinum spore assembly and differentiation into the vegetative cell. This is the form that produces the potentially lethal botulinum toxins. Spores are agents of food contamination and potential vehicles for bioterrorism. To achieve our aim, it is vital that we understand the 3D molecular architecture of the spore, and how it changes.