Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhiwei Tu, Henk L. Dekker, Winfried Roseboom, Bhagyashree N. Swarge, Peter Setlow, Stanley Brul, Gertjan Kramer
Summary: The research investigated the proteome dynamics during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis vegetative cells under nutrient limitation. Protein co-expression analysis identified four modules, with brown and green modules being upregulated during sporulation containing proteins associated with sporulation, while blue module showed negative correlation and contained ribosomal and metabolic proteins. Besides known transcription regulons, some proteins co-expressed with brown and green modules may also play roles during sporulation. Levels of some coat proteins decreased late in sporulation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aisling Brady, Nuria Quiles-Puchalt, Francisca Gallego del Sol, Sara Zamora-Caballero, Alonso Felipe-Ruiz, Jorge Val-Calvo, Wilfried J. J. Meijer, Alberto Marina, Jose R. Penades
Summary: Some Bacillus-infecting bacteriophages utilize a peptide-based communication system, called arbitrium, to coordinate the lysis-lysogeny decision. AimR, a key player in this system, is involved in a complex network of regulation. The SP beta phage, possessing a functional arbitrium system, can optimize production of infective particles while preserving the number of surviving cells, which increases phage persistence in nature.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yusei Nakaya, Miu Uchiike, Mayuko Hattori, Momoka Moriyama, Kimihiro Abe, Ella Kim, Patrick Eichenberger, Daisuke Imamura, Tsutomu Sato
Summary: The Bacillus subtilis spore consists of a core with chromosomal DNA, a cortex layer of peptidoglycan, and a coat composed of proteinaceous layers. A polysaccharide layer is added to the spore surface, likely anchored to the outermost coat layer. The identity of the coat protein(s) to which the spore polysaccharides (SPS) are attached is uncertain.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Seunghyun Sim, Yue Hui, David A. Tirrell
Summary: The incorporation of living cells into materials presents both challenges and possibilities. In this study, a new class of 3D-printable materials based on poly(N-hydroxymethylacrylamide) is developed, which allows the cross-linking of spore-forming bacteria into a polymeric scaffold. These embedded cells and spores can become metabolically active and produce proteins after re-swelling in nutrient-rich media. The leak-free scaffold enables protein production while preventing cell escape. This research demonstrates the potential utility of living composite materials in various applications.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lior Artzi, Assaf Alon, Kelly P. Brock, Anna G. Green, Amy Tam, Fernando H. Ramirez-Guadiana, Debora Marks, Andrew Kruse, David Z. Rudner
Summary: The study reveals that the germination of Bacillus subtilis spores in response to L-alanine requires the protein GerAB to act as the sensor. GerAB, a part of the Amino Acid-Polyamine-Organocation superfamily of transporters, is crucial for nutrient detection in spores. Mutations in gerAB affect the spores' ability to respond to different amino acids, indicating its role as a sensor in nutrient detection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kaito Kikuchi, Leticia Galera-Laporta, Colleen Weatherwax, Jamie Y. Lam, Eun Chae Moon, Emmanuel A. Theodorakis, Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo, Gurol M. Suel
Summary: Despite their dormant state, bacterial spores are able to sense environmental signals through a preexisting electrochemical potential and integrate these signals over time, affecting their decision to exit dormancy.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Peter Klausmann, Katja Hennemann, Mareen Hoffmann, Chantal Treinen, Moritz Aschern, Lars Lilge, Kambiz Morabbi Heravi, Marius Henkel, Rudolf Hausmann
Summary: Bacillus subtilis 3NA, a strain capable of high cell densities, utilized its surfactin-producing variant JABs32 in fed-batch processes to achieve significantly increased surfactin titers. Optimization of culture conditions showed a promising potential for enhanced surfactin production in high cell density fermentation.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Julien Mortier, Alexander Cambre, Sina Schack, Graham Christie, Abram Aertsen
Summary: In order to understand protein aggregate (PA) management and impact in bacteria, a synthetic model system was developed to investigate PA dynamics in Bacillus subtilis. The study found that PA segregation follows similar patterns as in Escherichia coli and PAs can persist throughout the entire sporulation process without detrimental effects on sporulation and spore survival.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bing Wang, Irina Artsimovitch
Summary: Bacillus subtilis utilizes uncoupled transcription and translation strategies to meet its unique regulatory needs, showing that bacteria employ diverse gene expression strategies.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Shanshan Xu, Qianqian Cao, Zengzhi Liu, Junpeng Chen, Peiguang Yan, Bingyu Li, Ying Xu
Summary: Bacillus strains are widely distributed in various environments and have biofilm-formation ability. This study focuses on the biofilm formation in Bacillus subtilis and its regulation by tmRNA. The researchers constructed a ssrA mutant in B. subtilis and found that biofilm formation was impaired. They also identified a biofilm-formation suppressor that restored biofilm formation even stronger than the wild type. By analyzing transcriptomic data, they predicted the functions of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in tmRNA regulation of biofilm formation. Furthermore, they identified two immediate regulators, acoA and yhjR, that could restore biofilm formation in the ssrA mutant.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhiliang Tian, Lizhen Hou, Miao Hu, Yaxin Gao, Danfeng Li, Bei Fan, Fengzhong Wang, Shuying Li
Summary: This study analyzed the spore densities and formation efficiency of B. subtilis BSNK-5 in different culture substrates. A response surface regression equation was established to determine the optimal medium formulation. The optimized medium significantly increased spore yield and sporulation rate.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ane Landajuela, Martha Braun, Alejandro Martinez-Calvo, Christopher D. A. Rodrigues, Carolina Gomis Perez, Thierry Doan, David Z. Rudner, Ned S. Wingreen, Erdem Karatekin
Summary: In Bacillus subtilis, membrane fission during cell division and endospore formation involves forespore inflation, increased membrane tension, and the presence of FisB protein. Forespore inflation leads to higher tension in the engulfment membrane, causing membrane flow and supplying membrane for forespore growth. FisB oligomerization at the membrane neck slows tension equilibration, further increasing engulfment membrane tension and promoting fission.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Piotr Machtel, Anna Wasilewska-Burczyk, Julian Zacharjasz, Kamilla Grzywacz
Summary: The study introduces a new method, PTT-quant, for the absolute quantification of premature transcription termination events. By using this method, the dynamics of SAM riboswitch induction were accurately measured in Bacillus subtilis, providing important insights into the regulation of transcription.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joshua P. Ramsay, Tahlia R. Bastholm, Callum J. Verdonk, Dinah D. Tambalo, John T. Sullivan, Liam K. Harold, Beatrice A. Panganiban, Elena Colombi, Benjamin J. Perry, William Jowsey, Calum Morris, Michael F. Hynes, Charles S. Bond, Andrew D. S. Cameron, Christopher K. Yost, Clive W. Ronson
Summary: The horizontal transfer of ICEMlSym (R7A) can cause non-symbiotic Mesorhizobium spp. to become nitrogen-fixing legume symbionts. A subpopulation of Mesorhizobium japonicum R7A called R7A* is epigenetically primed for quorum sensing and horizontal transfer, maintained in laboratory culture. The epigenetic maintenance of the R7A* state requires ICEMlSym (R7A)-encoded copies of both qseC and qseC2, forming a stable epigenetic switch that controls qseM transcription and primes a subpopulation of R7A cells for quorum sensing and horizontal transfer.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matej Butala, Anna Dragos
Summary: As part of their survival strategy, endospore-forming bacteria can trigger a developmental program called sporulation. Although the regulatory cascades controlling this transformation have been described, less is known about how bacteriophages that prey on these bacteria exploit sporulation. The specific molecular mechanisms of phages infecting endospore-formers are unique and may have negative effects on the host.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Han Ming Gan, Frederic Grandjean, Tom L. Jenkins, Christopher Mervyn Austin
Article
Ecology
Elsa Froufe, Ivan Bolotov, David C. Aldridge, Arthur E. Bogan, Sophie Breton, Han Ming Gan, Uthaiwan Kovitvadhi, Satit Kovitvadhi, Nicoletta Riccardi, Giulia Secci-Petretto, Ronaldo Sousa, Amilcar Teixeira, Simone Varandas, David Zanatta, Alexandra Zieritz, Miguel M. Fonseca, Manuel Lopes-Lima
Article
Infectious Diseases
Han Ming Gan, Wilhelm Wei Han Eng, Amreeta Dhanoa
JOURNAL OF GLOBAL ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Hooi Chia Tang, Chin Chin Sieo, Norhani Abdullah, Chun Wie Chong, Han Ming Gan, Mohd Shaufi Mohd Asrore, Chean Yeah Yong, Abdul Rahman Omar, Yin Wan Ho
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANIMAL NUTRITION
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett, Craig D. H. Sherman, Megan J. Huggett, Alexandra H. Campbell, Bonnie Laverock, Valentina Hurtado-McCormick, Justin R. Seymour, Alana Firl, Lauren F. Messer, Tracy D. Ainsworth, Karita L. Negandhi, Daniele Daffonchio, Suhelen Egan, Aschwin H. Engelen, Marco Fusi, Torsten Thomas, Laura Vann, Alejandra Hernandez-Agreda, Han Ming Gan, Ezequiel M. Marzinelli, Peter D. Steinberg, Leo Hardtke, Peter Macreadie
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
Jianing Ye, Dan Lin, Mu Zhang, Ta-Hui Lin, Jia Sun, Deli Wang, Kai Tang
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Qingfeng Zhang, Dan Lin, Jianing Ye, Ta-Hui Lin, Chenlan Li, Huaying Lin, Xueqiong Sun, Kai Tang
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Jia Sun, Jiaying Guo, Ta-Hui Lin, Xuejin Feng, Rui Zhang
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Jie Lian, Xiaoxuan Zheng, Xiaocun Zhuo, Yi-Lung Chen, Chen He, Qiang Zheng, Ta-Hui Lin, Jia Sun, Weidong Guo, Quan Shi, Nianzhi Jiao, Ruanhong Cai
Summary: The study found that while addition of different substrates resulted in changes to the initial microbial assemblage, after 90 days of incubation, the bacterial community compositions became similar. Revealed by ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry, molecular composition of DOM in all incubations became compositionally consistent with recalcitrant DOM and similar toward that of DOM from the deep-sea.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Xuejin Feng, Wei Yan, Anan Wang, Ruijie Ma, Xiaowei Chen, Ta-Hui Lin, Yi-Lung Chen, Shuzhen Wei, Tao Jin, Nianzhi Jiao, Rui Zhang
Summary: The study describes a novel alterophage R8W, infecting deep-clade Alteromonas mediterranea, with a rapid lytic cycle and a wide host range.
Article
Microbiology
Qi Chen, Bowen He, Ta-Hui Lin, Nianzhi Jiao, Qiang Zheng
Summary: A new photoheterotrophic bacterium, Shimia ponticola sp. nov., was isolated from the South China Sea. The genome of strain WX04T contained a complete photosynthetic gene cluster and exhibited high photochemical efficiency. It represents the first photoheterotrophic species within the genus Shimia.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Abdul Hakim Md Yusop, Teong Han Chew, Fadzlin Md Sairan, Hadi Nur
Summary: This study analyzes the scholarly publications of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) over a period of 50 years, focusing on the post-research university (RU) period. The analysis shows that engineering and computer science are the most prominent fields at UTM, with materials science, chemical engineering, energy, and chemistry areas having the potential for further improvement in citation rates. Despite having a reasonable number of authors and talents, some fields at UTM have low publication output.
MALAYSIAN JOURNAL OF FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeffrine J. Rovie-Ryan, Millawati Gani, Yin Peng Lee, Han Ming Gan, Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Mookiah Saminathan, Suriya Kumari Ramiah, Han Ming Gan, Norhani Abdullah, Clemente Michael Vui Ling Wong, Yin Wan Ho, Zulkifli Idrus
ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
Han Ming Gan, Peter C. Wengert, Hazel A. Barton, Andre O. Hudson, Michael A. Savka
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2019)