Bacillus subtilis
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHow Phagocytic Cells Kill Different Bacteria: a Quantitative Analysis Using Dictyostelium discoideumPhagocytic cells ingest and kill bacteria, a process essential for the defense of the human body against infections. Many potential killing mechanisms have been identified in phagocytic cells, including free radicals, toxic ions, enzymes, and permeabilizing peptides.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Unconventional Cytoplasmic Sensing Mechanism for Ethanol Chemotaxis in Bacillus subtilisEthanol is a chemoattractant for Bacillus subtilis even though it is not metabolized and inhibits growth. B. subtilis likely uses ethanol to find ethanol-fermenting microorganisms to utilize as prey. Two chemoreceptors sense ethanol: HemAT and McpB. HemAT’s myoglobin-like sensing domain directly...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe sps Genes Encode an Original Legionaminic Acid Pathway Required for Crust Assembly in Bacillus subtilisBacillus species are a major economic and food safety concern of the food industry because of their food spoilage-causing capability and persistence. Their persistence is mainly due to their ability to form highly resistant spores adhering to the surfaces of industrial equipment. Spores of the Bacillus subtilis group are surrounded by the crust, a superficial...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTumble Suppression Is a Conserved Feature of Swarming MotilityBacteria within a swarm move characteristically in packs, displaying an intricate swirling motion in which hundreds of dynamic rafts continuously form and dissociate as the swarm colonizes an increasing expanse of territory. The demonstrated property of E. coli to reduce its tumble bias and hence increase its run duration during swarming is expected to maintain and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCyclic di-GMP Signaling in Bacillus subtilis Is Governed by Direct Interactions of Diguanylate Cyclases and Cognate ReceptorsSecond messengers are free to diffuse through the cells and to activate all responsive elements. Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) signaling plays an important role in the determination of the life style transition between motility and sessility/biofilm formation but involves numerous distinct synthetases (diguanylate cyclases [DGCs]) or receptor pathways that appear to act in an independent manner. Using...
Letter to the Editor | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyConcerns about Continuing Claims that a Protein Complex Interacts with the Phosphorelay
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDynamic Membrane Localization of RNase Y in Bacillus subtilisAll living organisms must degrade mRNA to adapt gene expression to changing environments. In bacteria, initiation of mRNA decay generally occurs through an endonucleolytic cleavage. In the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis and probably many other bacteria, the key enzyme for this task is RNase Y, which is anchored at the inner cell membrane. While this...
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Bumpy Pathway to Stationary-Phase Survival in Bacillus subtilisBacillus subtilis cells can mount a number of responses to nutritional deprivation but ultimately either form dormant spores or enter a metabolically quiescent state. In a recent article (mBio 10:e01414-19, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01414-19, 2019), R. Hashuel and S.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStructure-Function Studies of the Bacillus subtilis Ric Proteins Identify the Fe-S Cluster-Ligating Residues and Their Roles in Development and RNA ProcessingThe RicA, RicF, and RicT proteins are widely conserved among the firmicute bacteria and play multiple roles in Bacillus subtilis. Among the phenotypes associated with the inactivation of these proteins are the inability to be genetically transformed or to form biofilms, a decrease in sporulation frequency, and changes in the stability and maturation of multiple RNA...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAging of a Bacterial Colony Enforces the Evolvement of Nondifferentiating MutantsUntil now, bacterial cells facing nutrient deprivation were shown to enter dormancy as a strategy to survive prolonged stress, with the most established examples being sporulation, stationary phase, and persistence. Here, we uncovered an opposing strategy for long-term bacterial survival, in which mutant subpopulations cope with a challenging niche by proliferating rather than by stalling division. We show that this feature stems from...