Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerardo
Spores.
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Well I guess the best thing to do is what Carolyn said, Make sure you know where your seeds come from
The spore coat sounds like it could be used as some kind of weapon:
Many harmful chemicals kill bacteria via DNA-damaging mechanisms
[10]. However, spores have evolved a number of mechanisms that confer chemical resistance. The spore coat is important in the resistance to many oxidizing chemicals such as chlorine dioxide, hypochlorite, ozone and peroxynitrite
[2] [10] [11]. It functions by reacting with these chemical agents and detoxifying them before they pass through the spore coat
[10]. In addition, the inner membrane’s extremely low permeability prevents both hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules from entering into the core
[11]. SASPs also protect the DNA by binding to it and shielding it from harmful chemical agents that enter the core
UV radiation damages the DNA of a cell and induces mutations. Saturation of an endospore’s DNA with SASPs protects the DNA from this harmful threat