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Trends in Microbiology Jun 2008Bacillus subtilis is a remarkably diverse bacterial species that is capable of growth within many environments. Recent microarray-based comparative genomic analyses have... (Review)
Review
Bacillus subtilis is a remarkably diverse bacterial species that is capable of growth within many environments. Recent microarray-based comparative genomic analyses have revealed that members of this species also exhibit considerable genomic diversity. The identification of strain-specific genes might explain how B. subtilis has become so broadly adapted. The goal of identifying ecologically adaptive genes could soon be realized with the imminent release of several new B. subtilis genome sequences. As we embark upon this exciting new era of B. subtilis comparative genomics we review what is currently known about the ecology and evolution of this species.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Bacterial Proteins; Ecology; Genome, Bacterial; Genomics; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Species Specificity
PubMed: 18467096
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2008.03.004 -
Trends in Microbiology Aug 2019
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Biofilms; Humans
PubMed: 31000489
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.03.008 -
Trends in Biotechnology May 2019Based on technical advances in the sequencing and synthesis of genetic components as well as the genome, significant progress has recently been made in developing... (Review)
Review
Based on technical advances in the sequencing and synthesis of genetic components as well as the genome, significant progress has recently been made in developing synthetic biology toolboxes and chassis for the model Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. In this review, we discuss recently developed synthetic biology toolboxes, including gene expression toolsets and genome editing tools. Next, advances in the B. subtilis chassis and its applications are discussed in comparison to those of other model microorganisms. Finally, future directions for the integrative use of B. subtilis synthetic biology tools and the development of an advanced chassis for efficient biomanufacturing are discussed. These factors are expected to become a major driving force for facilitating biotechnological applications of B. subtilis.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Biotechnology; Genome, Bacterial; Metabolic Engineering; Synthetic Biology
PubMed: 30446263
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.10.005 -
Molekuliarnaia Biologiia 2020Bacillus subtilis bacteria play an important role in veterinary medicine, medicine, and biotechnology, and the permanently growing demand for biotechnological products... (Review)
Review
Bacillus subtilis bacteria play an important role in veterinary medicine, medicine, and biotechnology, and the permanently growing demand for biotechnological products fuels the improvement of the properties of biotechnological strains. B. subtilis strains with improved characteristics maybe obtained by rational design and the directed evolution technologies, or be found among newly described strains. In the course of the long-term microbiome composition studies in the Russian segment of the International Space Station, the B. subtilis 20 strain was isolated, this strain shows the capacity for rapid growth and considerable biomass accumulation, as well as increased resistance to acidification of the environment in comparison to the "terrestrial" B. subtilis 168 strain. What is more, B. subtilis 20 is hyperresistant to the DNA and protein damaging factors that are linked to the overexpression of the genes controlling DNA repair, hydrogen sulfide production, and reactive oxygen species neutralization. The described properties of B. subtilis 20 are indicative of its considerable potential as a promising producer of biologically active compounds.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Biotechnology
PubMed: 32163397
DOI: 10.31857/S0026898420010085 -
Current Opinion in Microbiology Dec 2004Differentiation of vegetative Bacillus subtilis into heat resistant spores is initiated by the activation of the key transcription regulator Spo0A through the... (Review)
Review
Differentiation of vegetative Bacillus subtilis into heat resistant spores is initiated by the activation of the key transcription regulator Spo0A through the phosphorelay. Subsequent events depend on the cell compartment-specific action of a series of RNA polymerase sigma factors. Analysis of genes in the Spo0A regulon has helped delineate the mechanisms of axial chromatin formation and asymmetric division. There have been considerable advances in our understanding of critical controls that act to regulate the phosphorelay and to activate the sigma factors.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Bacterial Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Spores, Bacterial; Transcription, Genetic
PubMed: 15556029
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2004.10.001 -
Environmental Microbiology Mar 2015Biofilms are the predominant lifestyle of bacteria in natural environments, and they severely impact our societies in many different fashions. Therefore, biofilm... (Review)
Review
Biofilms are the predominant lifestyle of bacteria in natural environments, and they severely impact our societies in many different fashions. Therefore, biofilm formation is a topic of growing interest in microbiology, and different bacterial models are currently studied to better understand the molecular strategies that bacteria undergo to build biofilms. Among those, biofilms of the soil-dwelling bacterium Bacillus subtilis are commonly used for this purpose. Bacillus subtilis biofilms show remarkable architectural features that are a consequence of sophisticated programmes of cellular specialization and cell-cell communication within the community. Many laboratories are trying to unravel the biological role of the morphological features of biofilms, as well as exploring the molecular basis underlying cellular differentiation. In this review, we present a general perspective of the current state of knowledge of biofilm formation in B. subtilis and thereby placing a special emphasis on summarizing the most recent discoveries in the field.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Biofilms; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 24909922
DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12527 -
Current Opinion in Microbiology Dec 2007The discovery of cytoskeletal elements in prokaryotes has dramatically changed the way we think about bacterial cell morphogenesis. The rod shape of Bacillus subtilis is... (Review)
Review
The discovery of cytoskeletal elements in prokaryotes has dramatically changed the way we think about bacterial cell morphogenesis. The rod shape of Bacillus subtilis is maintained by the two major polymers (peptidoglycan and teichoic acids) of its thick cell wall and determined by the way these are inserted during growth. The current view is that the dynamic tubulin-like (FtsZ) and actin-like (MreB) cytoskeletons orchestrate, both in time and space, the assembly of macromolecular machineries that effect cell wall synthesis and hydrolysis during cell division and cell elongation, respectively.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Cytoskeletal Proteins; Cytoskeleton; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Peptidoglycan; Teichoic Acids
PubMed: 17981078
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2007.09.008 -
Folia Microbiologica 2007Bacillus subtilis, a Gram-positive bacterium commonly found in soil, is an excellent model organism for the study of basic cell processes, such as cell division and cell... (Review)
Review
Bacillus subtilis, a Gram-positive bacterium commonly found in soil, is an excellent model organism for the study of basic cell processes, such as cell division and cell differentiation, called sporulation. In B. subtilis the essential genetic information is carried on a single circular chromosome, the correct segregation of which is crucial for both vegetative growth and sporulation. The proper completion of life cycle requires each daughter cell to obtain identical genetic information. The consequences of inaccurate chromosome segregation can lead to formation of anucleate cells, cells with two chromosomes, or cells with incomplete chromosomes. Although bacteria miss the classical eukaryotic mitotic apparatus, the chromosome segregation is undeniably an active process tightly connected to other cell processes as DNA replication and compaction. To fully understand the chromosome segregation, it is necessary to study this process in a wider context and to examine the role of different proteins at various cell life cycle stages. The life cycle of B. subtilis is characteristic by its specific cell differentiation process where, two slightly different segregation mechanisms exist, specialized in vegetative growth and in sporulation.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Bacterial Proteins; Chromosome Segregation; Chromosomes, Bacterial
PubMed: 18450217
DOI: 10.1007/BF02932184 -
Current Opinion in Microbiology Dec 2011Bacillus subtilis regulates its ability to differentiate into distinct, co-existing cell types in response to extracellular signaling molecules produced either by... (Review)
Review
Bacillus subtilis regulates its ability to differentiate into distinct, co-existing cell types in response to extracellular signaling molecules produced either by itself, or present in its environment. The production of molecules by B. subtilis cells, as well as their response to these signals, is not uniform across the population. There is specificity and heterogeneity both within genetically identical populations as well as at the strain-level and species-level. This review will discuss how extracellular signaling compounds influence B. subtilis multicellularity with regard to matrix-producing cannibal differentiation, germination, and swarming behavior, as well as the specificity of the quorum-sensing peptides ComX and CSF. It will also highlight how imaging mass spectrometry can aid in identifying signaling compounds and contribute to our understanding of the functional relationship between such compounds and multicellular behavior.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Quorum Sensing; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 22024380
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2011.09.016 -
Journal of Bacteriology Jun 2021The dispersal of bacterial cells from a matured biofilm can be mediated either by active or passive mechanisms. In this issue of the , Nishikawa and Kobayashi...
The dispersal of bacterial cells from a matured biofilm can be mediated either by active or passive mechanisms. In this issue of the , Nishikawa and Kobayashi demonstrate that the presence of calcium influences the dispersal of spores from the pellicle biofilm of Bacillus subtilis (M. Nishikawa and K. Kobayashi, J Bacteriol 203:e00114-21, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00114-21). The authors propose that temporal heterogeneity in matrix production and chelation of calcium by dipicolinic acid in spores weakens the biofilm matrix and causes passive dispersal.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Biofilms; Calcium; Spores, Bacterial
PubMed: 33927051
DOI: 10.1128/JB.00192-21