Bacillus subtilis
- Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceGenomic and Chemical Diversity of Bacillus subtilis Secondary Metabolites against Plant Pathogenic Fungi
Secondary or specialized metabolites with antimicrobial activities define the biocontrol properties of microorganisms. Members of the Bacillus genus produce a plethora of secondary metabolites, of which nonribosomally produced lipopeptides in particular display strong antifungal activity.
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyNegative Interplay between Biofilm Formation and Competence in the Environmental Strains of Bacillus subtilis
The soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis can form robust biofilms, which are important for its survival in the environment. B. subtilis also exhibits natural competence. By investigating competence development in B. subtilis in...
- Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary SciencePrivatization of Biofilm Matrix in Structurally Heterogeneous Biofilms
Biofilms are communities of bacteria protected by a self-produced extracellular matrix. The detrimental effects of nonproducing individuals on biofilm development raise questions about the dynamics between community members, especially when isogenic nonproducers exist within wild-type populations. We asked ourselves whether phenotypic nonproducers impact biofilm robustness, and where and when this heterogeneity of matrix gene expression...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRecombinant HcGAPDH Protein Expressed on Probiotic Bacillus subtilis Spores Protects Sheep from Haemonchus contortus Infection by Inducing both Humoral and Cell-Mediated Responses
Initial analyses of the abomasal microbiota of sheep using 16S rRNA sequencing suggested that probiotic bacteria played a protective role in against H. contortus infection. A recombinant Bacillus subtilis expressing a fusion protein CotB-HcGAPDH on its spore’s surface induced strong Th1 immune response in a murine model. The same probiotic recombinant, upon...
- Special Issue Perspective | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyConsidering the Lives of Microbes in Microbial Communities
Over the last decades, sequencing technologies have transformed our ability to investigate the composition and functional capacity of microbial communities. Even so, critical questions remain about these complex systems that cannot be addressed by the bulk, community-averaged data typically provided by sequencing methods.