Spores of the strain NCIB 8122 ofBacillus cereushave been depleted of coats by treatment with 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate – 200 mM 2-mercaptoethanol – 0.5 M NaCl (pH 9.6). The coat-depleted spores did not show any decrease in viability, heat resistance, refractility, dipicolinic acid content, or specific activities of several protoplastic enzymes. The germinative response of the coat-depleted spores to adenosine and several analogues thereof was found qualitatively similar to that obtained with intact spores. However, germination kinetics appeared to be affected by coat removal, since germination rate measured as loss of refractility was eight times slower even at inducer concentrations 10-fold higher than those required to promote optimal germination response of intact spores. Loss of heat resistance, on the other hand, was hardly affected by coat removal. These results suggest that, even though spore coats are not essential for the triggering reaction, they are required for a rapid evolution of the later events in the germination process.Key words: adenosine analogues, germination-triggering reaction, spore coats, coat-depleted spores,Bacillus cereus.