Bacillus
Environmental MicrobiologyStructural and Functional Insights into Iturin W, a Novel Lipopeptide Produced by the Deep-Sea Bacterium Bacillus sp. Strain wsm-1Plant disease caused by pathogenic fungi is one of the most devastating diseases, which affects the food safety of the whole world to a great extent. Biological control of plant diseases by microbial natural products is more desirable than traditional chemical control. In this study, we discovered a novel lipopeptide, iturin W, with promising prospects in biological control of plant diseases. Moreover, the effects of different carbon...
Invertebrate MicrobiologyRap-Phr Systems from Plasmids pAW63 and pHT8-1 Act Together To Regulate Sporulation in the Bacillus thuringiensis Serovar kurstaki HD73 StrainThe life cycle of Bacillus thuringiensis in insect larvae is regulated by quorum-sensing systems of the RNPP family. After the toxemia caused by Cry insecticidal toxins, the sequential activation of these systems allows the bacterium to trigger first a state of virulence (regulated by PlcR-PapR) and then a necrotrophic lifestyle (regulated by NprR-NprX); ultimately,...
PhysiologyDNA Damage Kills Bacterial Spores and Cells Exposed to 222-Nanometer UV RadiationSpores of a variety of bacteria are resistant to common decontamination agents, and many of them are major causes of food spoilage and some serious human diseases, including anthrax caused by spores of Bacillus anthracis. Consequently, there is an ongoing need for efficient methods for spore eradication, in particular methods that have minimal deleterious effects on...
Environmental MicrobiologyIn-Depth Profiling of Calcite Precipitation by Environmental Bacteria Reveals Fundamental Mechanistic Differences with Relevance to ApplicationBiomineralization triggered by bacteria is important in the natural environment and has many applications in industry and in civil and geotechnical engineering. The diversity in biomineralization capabilities of environmental bacteria is, however, not well understood. This study surveyed environmental bacteria for their ability to precipitate calcium carbonate minerals and investigated both the mechanisms and the resulting crystals. We...
Geomicrobiology | SpotlightAccumulation and Release of Rare Earth Ions by Spores of Bacillus Species and the Location of These Ions in SporesBiosorption of rare earth ions by growing cells of Bacillus species has been well studied and has attracted attention for possible hydrometallurgy applications. However, the interaction of spores from Bacillus species with rare earth ions has not been well studied. We investigated here the adsorption and/or desorption of two rare earth ions, Tb3+ and Dy3+, by Bacillus spores, the location...
Environmental MicrobiologyA Pathway for Isethionate Dissimilation in Bacillus krulwichiaeIsethionate of biotic and industrial sources is prevalent. Dissimilation of isethionate under aerobic conditions is thus far only known in Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we report the discovery of a new pathway in Gram-positive Bacillus krulwichiae. Isethionate is oxidized by a cytosolic metal-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (which we named IseD), with NAD+...
Food MicrobiologyDaqu Fermentation Selects for Heat-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae and BacilliDaqu fermentations select for mobile genetic elements conferring heat resistance in Enterobacteriaceae and bacilli. The locus of heat resistance (LHR), a genomic island conferring heat resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, and the spoVA2mob operon, conferring heat resistance on...
Physiology | SpotlightOrthologues of Bacillus subtilis Spore Crust Proteins Have a Structural Role in the Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 Spore ExosporiumWhen starved of nutrients, some bacterial species develop metabolically dormant spores that can persist in a viable state in the environment for several years. The outermost layers of spores are of particular interest since (i) these represent the primary site for interaction with the environment and (ii) the protein constituents may have biotechnological applications. The outermost layer, or exosporium, in...
Genetics and Molecular Biology | SpotlightOpuF, a New Bacillus Compatible Solute ABC Transporter with a Substrate-Binding Protein Fused to the Transmembrane DomainThe high-affinity import of compatible solutes from environmental sources is an important aspect of the cellular defense of many bacteria and archaea against the harmful effects of high external osmolarity. The accumulation of these osmostress protectants counteracts high-osmolarity-instigated water efflux, a drop in turgor to nonphysiological values, and an undue increase in molecular crowding of the cytoplasm; they thereby foster...