UV resistance of Bacillus subtilis spores - Involvement of DPA and characterization by photonic microscopy
The aim of this project was to study the UVc resistance of Bacillus subtilis spores. The first part of this project focused on the dipicolinic acid molecule (DPA) which is known to be involved in the UV resistance of spores. However, some points remain unresolved. In particular, it is known that this molecule forms fluorescent photoproducts (DPAp), which were not identified at the beginning of this project. No information concerning the role of these DPAp in UVC resistance was available at that time. During this project, a protocol was established to follow the appearance of these photoproducts directly inside the spore core. A method was also set up to artificially introduce DPAp into the …