Thermodynamic model for spore awakening

Abstract

It is well known that many bacteria are capable of acquiring highly resistant cell states, called spores, during which the cell shows no biological function at all. This allows the bacterial cell to resist adverse environmental conditions till an optimal biological situation arises again, leading to its “awakening”. Experimental data suggests that phase condensation could play a crucial role during earlier stages. This project intends to use the formalism of non-equilibrium thermodynamics to propose a first dynamical model that could approximate the internal changes of the spore core that underpin this awakening.