Bacterially induced carbonate mineralization has been proposed as a new method for the restoration of limestones in historic buildings and monuments. We describe here the formation of calcite crystals by extracellular polymeric substances isolated from Bacillus firmus and Bacillus sphaericus. We isolated bacterial outer structures (glycocalix and parietal polymers), such as exopolysaccharides (...

Application of protoplast transformation and single- and double-crossover mutagenesis protocols to alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4811M (an auxotrophic strain of B. firmus OF4) facilitated the extension of the sequence of the previously cloned nhaC gene, which encodes an Na+/H+ antiporter, and the surrounding region. The nhaC gene is part of a likely 2-gene operon encompassing nhaC and a small ...

Systematic studies of the Bacillus group have been biased towards terrestrial and pathogenic isolates, and relatively few studies have examined Bacillus species from marine environments. Here we took twenty Bacillus strains from diverse marine environments and sequenced their 16S rRNA. Using molecular comparisons, we separated the strains into thirteen Bacillus genotypes and identified 9 specie...

Two types of white wheat bread (high- and low-type loaves) were investigated for rope spoilage. Thirty of the 56 breads tested developed rope spoilage within 5 days; the high-type loaves were affected by rope spoilage more than the low-type loaves. Sixty-one Bacillus strains were isolated from ropy breads and were characterized on the basis of their phenotypic and genotypic traits. All of the i...

Juvenile hormone titers and reproductive characteristics were measured in adult wing and flight-muscle morphs of the wing-polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus, during the first week of adulthood. This species has three morphs: one flight capable morph with fully-developed wings and fully-developed flight muscles [LW(F)], one flightless morph with fully-developed wings and histolyzed (non-functio...

The existence, nature, and physiological consequences of genetic variation for juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) activity was studied in the wing-polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus. Hemolymph (blood) JHE activity was sixfold lower in nascent short-winged (SW) females, relative to nascent long-winged (LW) females during the last juvenile stadium (stage). Morph-associated genetic variation for JHE...