Specific Bacillus subtilis 168 variants form biofilms on nutrient-rich medium

On growth and form of Bacillus subtilis biofilms.

A general feature of mature biofilms is their highly heterogeneous architecture that partitions the microbial city into sectors with specific micro-environments. To understand how this heterogeneity arises, we have investigated the formation of a microbial community of the model organism Bacillus subtilis. We first show that the growth of macroscopic colonies is inhibited by the accumulation of...

Nutrient depletion in Bacillus subtilis biofilms triggers matrix production

Many types of bacteria form colonies that grow into physically robust and strongly adhesive aggregates known as biofilms. A distinguishing characteristic of bacterial biofilms is an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix that encases the cells and provides physical integrity to the colony. The EPS matrix consists of a large amount of polysaccharide, as well as protein filaments, DNA and...

Suppressor system in Bacillus subtilis 168.

Multiple auxotrophic strains of Bacillus subtilis 168 were tested for joint one-step reversion of two or more auxotrophic markers to the wild-type phenotype. Mu8u5u5, a strain requiring leucine, methionine, and threonine, yielded revertants that grew without added methionine or threonine and proved to have a suppressor gene. When transferred by transformation with deoxyribonucleic acid, this su...

Bacillus subtilis 168 4 5 6

Restriction on conjugational transfer of pLS20 in Bacillus subtilis 168.

Conjugational transfer of pLS20 in Bacillus subtilis Marburg 168 is restricted by the BsuM restriction-modification system. Restriction efficiency was measured using pLS20 derivatives possessing various numbers of XhoI sites, which are known to be recognized by BsuM. An increase in XhoI sites clearly reduced the conjugational efficiency of pLS20 as compared with that of pUB110 plasmid lacking X...