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PubMed1990

Determination of the cis sequence involved in catabolite repression of the Bacillus subtilis gnt operon; implication of a consensus sequence in catabolite repression in the genus Bacillus.

The mechanism underlying catabolite repression in Bacillus species remains unsolved. The gluconate (gnt) operon of Bacillus subtilis is one of the catabolic operons which is under catabolite repression. To identify the cis sequence involved in catabolite repression of the gnt operon, we performed deletion analysis of a DNA fragment carrying the gnt promoter and the gntR gene, which had been cloned into the promoter probe vector, pWP19. Deletion of the region upstream of the gnt promoter did not affect catabolite repression. Further deletion analysis of the gnt promoter and gntR coding region was carried out after restoration of promoter activity through the insertion of internal constitutive promoters of the gnt operon before the gntR gene (P2 and P3). These deletions revealed that the cis sequence involved in catabolite repression of the gnt operon is located between nucleotide positions +137 and +148. This DNA segment contains a sequence, ATTGAAAG, which may be implicated as a consensus sequence involved in catabolite repression in the genus Bacillus.

Bacillus subtilis↗

PubMed1993

Bacillus cohnii sp. nov., a new, obligately alkaliphilic, oval-spore-forming Bacillus species with ornithine and aspartic acid instead of diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall.

A group of 20 alkaliphilic Bacillus strains in which all strains revealed the same unique comination of properties--obligate alkaliphily, oval spores distending the sporangium, and ornithine and aspartic acid instead of diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall--was examined. Most of the strains had been isolated by a five-step enrichment and isolation procedure. The G+C content was determined to span a range from 33.5 to 35.0 mol%. Unsaturated fatty acids amounted to 17 to 28% of the total cellular fatty acids. Through DNA-DNA hybridization experiments 11 strains could be grouped in one species. Low homology values with the type strains of validly published Bacillus species with similar G+C contents suggest that these strains belong to a hitherto undescribed species for which the name Bacillus cohnii is proposed. The type strain of the new species is strain RSH (= DSM 6307).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Bacillus vallismortis sp. nov., a close relative of Bacillus subtilis, isolated from soil in Death Valley, California.

Five Bacillus strains isolated from Death Valley soil were shown to belong to a previously unidentified species, for which we propose the name Bacillus vallismortis. The type strain is strain DV1-F-3 (= NRRL B-14890). On the basis of previously published restriction digestion data, B. vallismortis is most closely related to Bacillus subtilis. At this time B. vallismortis can be distinguished from B. subtilis only by differences in whole-cell fatty acid compositions, DNA sequences, and levels of reassociation of genomic DNA.

Bacillus subtilis↗

PubMed1996

A polyphasic reassessment of the genus Paenibacillus, reclassification of Bacillus lautus (Nakamura 1984) as Paenibacillus lautus comb. nov. and of Bacillus peoriae (Montefusco et al. 1993) as Paenibacillus peoriae comb. nov., and emended descriptions of P. lautus and of P. peoriae.

Seventy-seven strains representing 10 species in the Paenibacillus polymyxa 16S rRNA group and 3 other species that exhibit phenetic relatedness to members of this group, Bacillus lautus, "Bacillus longisporus," and Bacillus peoriae, were characterized genotypically and phenotypically by performing an amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis, a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis, a fatty acid methyl ester analysis, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of whole-cell proteins, pyrolysis mass spectrometry, and API and other routine phenotypic tests. These analyses revealed distinct clusters representing Paenibacillus alvei, Paenibacillus amylolyticus, Paenibacillus azotofixans, Paenibacillus durum, Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae, Paenibacillus larvae subsp. pulvifaciens, B. lautus, Paenibacillus macerans, Paenibacillus macquariensis, B. peoriae, P. polymyxa, and Paenibacillus validus, which confirmed the distinctness of these species, but appreciable within-species heterogeneity was observed in P. alvei, B. lautus, P. macerans, P. polymyxa, and P. validus. The type strain of Paenibacillus pabuli did not cluster with other strains of this species, and in several analyses a relationship between strains of P. pabuli and "B. longisporus" was observed. As the analyses showed that B. lautus and B. peoriae are closely related to the genus Paenibacillus, these species are reclassified as members of this genus.

Bacillus↗

PubMed1998

Bacillus horti sp. nov., a new gram-negative alkaliphilic bacillus.

Novel Gram-negative alkaliphilic strains were isolated from soil obtained from Atsuma, Hokkaido, Japan. The isolates were strictly aerobic rods that produced subterminally located ellipsoidal spores. Chemotaxonomic characteristics of the isolates included the presence of meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall and a DNA G + C content of 40.2-40.9 mol%. The major isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone-7 and the cellular fatty acid profile consisted of a significant amount of 15-C branched-chain acids, iso-C15:0 and anteiso-C15:0. The growth rate was higher at pH 8-10 than at pH 7. Comparative sequence analysis of 16S rDNA of 14 alkaliphilic Bacillus strains indicates that the isolated strain has an equidistant relationship to three already defined rRNA groups of alkaliphilic Bacillus species. Based on the morphological and physiological characteristics, as well as phylogenetic position as determined by 16S rDNA analysis and DNA-DNA relatedness data, it is concluded that these isolates should be designated as a new species, for which the name Bacillus horti is proposed. The type strain is K13T (= JCM 9943T).

Bacillus↗

PubMed2001

Bacillus sonorensis sp. nov., a close relative of Bacillus licheniformis, isolated from soil in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona.

Eight Bacillus strains isolated from Sonoran Desert soil were shown to belong to a previously unidentified species, for which the name Bacillus sonorensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain L87-10T (= NRRL B-23154T). On the basis of phenotypic and genetic data, B. sonorensis is most closely related to Bacillus licheniformis. B. sonorensis can be distinguished from B. licheniformis by salt tolerance, pigmentation, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, reassociation of genomic DNA and sequence differences in protein-coding genes and 16S rRNA.

Arizona↗

PubMed2002

Bacillus dysentericus (sic) 1897 was the first taxonomic rather than Bacillus dysenteriae 1898.

The basonym of Shigella dysenteriae (Shiga 1898) Castellani and Chalmers 1919 was first and officially proposed in 1897 as Bacillus dysentericus (sic) in Saikingaku Zasshi, published in Japan. In accordance with Section 6 (Citation of Authors and Names) of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision), the year of the first proposal of Shigella dysenteriae has to be corrected from Bacillus dysenteriae 1898 to Bacillus dysentericus (sic) 1897.

Bacillus↗

PubMed1996

Phylogenetic characterization of a novel salt-tolerant Bacillus species: description of Bacillus dipsosauri sp. nov.

The taxonomic position of a novel halophilic endospore-forming bacterium previously isolated from a desert iguana was investigated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Comparative sequence analyses showed the unidentified bacterium to be phylogenetically loosely associated with some other spore-forming (Bacillus pantothenticus, Sporosarcina halophila) and non-spore-forming (Marinococcus albus) halotolerant bacteria. Based on the phenotypic and phylogenetic distinctiveness of the unidentified bacterium, it is proposed that it is classified in the genus Bacillus as a new species, Bacillus dipsosauri.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

A highly thermostable neutral protease from Bacillus caldolyticus: cloning and expression of the gene in Bacillus subtilis and characterization of the gene product.

By using a gene library of Bacillus caldolyticus constructed in phage lambda EMBL12 and selecting for proteolytically active phages on plates supplemented with 0.8% skim milk, chromosomal B. caldolyticus DNA fragments that specified proteolytic activity were obtained. Subcloning of one of these fragments in a protease-deficient Bacillus subtilis strain resulted in protease proficiency of the host. The nucleotide sequence of a 2-kb HinfI-MluI fragment contained an open reading frame (ORF) that specified a protein of 544 amino acids. This ORF was denoted as the B. caldolyticus npr gene, because the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the ORF were highly similar to that of the Bacillus stearothermophilus npr gene. Additionally, the size, pH optimum, and sensitivity to the specific Npr inhibitor phosphoramidon of the secreted enzyme indicated that the B. caldolyticus enzyme was a neutral protease. The B. sterothermophilus and B. caldolyticus enzymes differed at only three amino acid positions. Nevertheless, the thermostability and optimum temperature of the B. caldolyticus enzyme were 7 to 8 degrees C higher than those of the B. stearothermophilus enzyme. In a three-dimensional model of the B. stearothermophilus Npr the three substitutions (Ala-4 to Thr, Thr-59 to Ala, and Thr-66 to Phe) were present at solvent-exposed positions. The role of these residues in thermostability was analyzed by using site-directed mutagenesis. It was shown that all three amino acid substitutions contributed to the observed difference in thermostability between the neutral proteases from B. stearothermophilus and B. caldolyticus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

Hyperexpression of the gene for a Bacillus alpha-amylase in Bacillus subtilis cells: enzymatic properties and crystallization of the recombinant enzyme.

We have constructed a new excretion vector, pHSP64, to develop a hyperexcretion system for Bacillus subtilis [Sumitomo et al., Biosci. Biotech. Biochem., 59, 2172-2175 (1995)]. The structural gene for a novel liquefying semi-alkaline alpha-amylase from the alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. KSM-1378 was amplified by PCR. It was cloned into a SalI-SmaI site of pHSP64 and the recombinant plasmid obtained was introduced into B. subtilis. The transformed B. subtilis hyperproduced the alpha-amylase activity extracellularly, corresponding to approximately 1.0 g (5 x 10(6) units) per liter of an optimized liquid culture. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity by a simple purification procedure with very high yield. No significant differences in physiochemical and catalytic properties were observed between the recombinant enzyme and the native enzyme produced by Bacillus sp. KSM-1378. The enzymatic properties of the recombinant enzyme were further examined with respect to the responses to various metal ions. The recombinant enzyme could easily be crystallized at room temperature within one day in a buffered solution of 10% (w/v) ammonium sulfate (pH 6.5).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, Bacillus sphaericus and temephos for managing Anopheles larvae in Eritrea.

We evaluated the larvicidal activity of the granular formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) serotype H-14 (Vectobac G, 200 ITU/mg) and Bacillus sphaericus (Bsph) serotype H5a5b (Vectolex CG, 670 Bs ITU/mg) against Anopheles arabiensis and other mosquitoes in breeding habitats in 3 sites, Gash-Barka, Anseba, and Debub zones, in Eritrea. The primary objective was to determine the optimal application rate and duration of effect for Bti and Bsph in representative larval habitats as compared with the organophosphate temephos. The biolarvicides were tested at 100% (high) and 50% (low) of the maximum recommended application rate. Temephos was applied at a rate of 100 ml/ha. At least 4 replicate experiments with Vectobac G (5.6 and 11.2 kg/ha), Vectolex CG (11.2 and 22.4 kg/ha) were conducted in each study site. All 3 larvicides caused significant mortality of the main malaria vector species, An. arabiensis, and other mosquito species (Anopheles cinereus, Anopheles pretoriensis, Culex quinquefasciatus). The larvicidal activity for Bti and Bsph was variable depending upon breeding habitat, mosquito species, and general ecology of the area. Both biopesticides had a similar duration of activity (2-3 wk) and were generally as effective as temephos for these time periods. In some cases, the high and low application rates for Bti and Bsph produced equivalent control over 2-3 wk. The 2 Bacillus biopesticides were less effective in habitats with high algal content and in fast flowing streams primarily because of the inability to penetrate algal mats and dilution effect, respectively. The results show that application of the 2 biolarvicides bimonthly to streambed pools, rain pools, and similar habitats would maintain control of the anopheline mosquito population.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Glutamyl-tRNA synthetases of Bacillus subtilis 168T and of Bacillus stearothermophilus. Cloning and sequencing of the gltX genes and comparison with other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.

The glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (GluRS) of Bacillus subtilis 168T aminoacylates with glutamate its homologous tRNA(Glu) and tRNA(Gln) in vivo and Escherichia coli tRNA(1Gln) in vitro (Lapointe, J., Duplain, L., and Proulx, M. (1986) J. Bacteriol. 165, 88-93). The gltX gene encoding this enzyme was cloned and sequenced. It encodes a protein of 483 amino acids with a Mr of 55,671. Alignment of the amino acid sequences of four bacterial GluRSs (from B. subtilis, Bacillus stearothermophilus, E. coli, and Rhizobium meliloti) gives 20% identity and reveals the presence of several short highly conserved motifs in the first two thirds of these proteins. Conserved motifs are found at corresponding positions in several other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. The only sequence similarity between the GluRSs of these Bacillus species and the E. coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS), which has no counterpart in the E. coli GluRS, is in a segment of 30 amino acids in the last third of these synthetases. In the three-dimensional structure of the E. coli tRNA(Gln).GlnRS.ATP complex, this conserved peptide is near the anticodon of tRNA(Gln) (Rould, M. A., Perona, J. J., Söll, D., and Steitz, T. A. (1989) Science 246, 1135-1142), suggesting that this region is involved in the specific interactions between these enzymes and the anticodon regions of their tRNA substrates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1983

Meningitis and bacteremia due to Bacillus cereus. A case report and a review of Bacillus infections.

A patient with meningitis and bacteremia due to Bacillus cereus is described. The patient had transsphenoidal hypophysectomy for chromophobe adenoma, complicated by rhinorrhea, which was corrected by subarachnoid drainage. Three weeks after removal of the drain, the patient presented with meningitis and died the following day. The causative organism was identified as B. cereus. The literature on Bacillus infections is reviewed with special attention to severe infections. A modified classification is proposed, dividing infections into superficial, closed-space and systemic ones. Sixty-one previously reported cases of systemic Bacillus infections are reviewed according to type of infection (endocarditis, meningitis or pulmonary infection), and the underlying conditions, ways of acquiring the infection, clinical picture and mortality are discussed.

Aged↗

PubMed1995

Hybrid Bacillus amyloliquefaciens X Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylases. Construction, properties and sequence determinants.

A series of 33 single and mosaic hybrid alpha-amylases was constructed from the genes amyBA or amyLI, encoding the alpha-amylases from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (AmyBA) and Bacillus licheniformis (AmyLI). The hybrid proteins, consisting of the entire alpha-amylase sequence with a variable portion of AmyBA or AmyLI origin, were characterized in order to find enzymes with new properties (thermostability, temperature and pH optima, and substrate specificity), and to localize the amino acid sequence regions responsible for the changes. The thermostability of the AmyBA/AmyLI (AL-type) hybrid proteins correlated with the position and the length of the hybrid sequence. The hybrid enzymes fell into six groups retaining, in comparison to AmyBA, a certain value of the extra-thermostability of AmyLI or becoming more thermolabile than AmyBA. Four regions are proposed to contain thermostability determinants (TSDs). They map between amino acid residues 34-76, 112-142, 174-179 and 263-276 of the respective hybrid enzymes, indicating the dominance of the N-terminal half of AmyLI for these hybrid enzymes' resistance against irreversible inactivation. Two (TSD3 and TSD4) coincide with regions I and II that had already been suggested to stabilise AmyLI [Suzuki, Y., Ito, N., Yuuki, T., Yamagata, H. & Udake, S. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 18,933-18,938]. The temperature dependence of activity of the AL-type hybrid alpha-amylases was compared at pH 6.4 and pH 7.6 and the hybrid enzymes of one thermostability group were found to have similar temperature responses. A hybrid region between residues 34-76 is demonstrated to correlate with the alpha-amylases' substrate specificity, i.e. either hydrolysis or accumulation of maltohexaose. This region was therefore named the G6G5 region. The exchange of internal sequences between residues 17-201 of AmyBA by the AmyLI counterpart in ALA-type mosaic hybrid alpha-amylases, with one exception (ALA99-429), unexpectedly destabilized the respective ALA-type hybrids. Two of these hybrid alpha-amylases (ALA17-151 and ALA76-151) were less thermostable than AmyBA, while others (ALA112-151, ALA112-201) were enzymically inactive. These data support specific roles of the predicted A1-B domain portion between residues 17-201 of those Bacillus alpha-amylases probably for correct folding and enzymic activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus sphaericus biopesticides production.

The long residual action and toxicity of the chemical insecticides have brought about serious environmental problems such as the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance in many species of vectors, mammalian toxicity, and accumulation of pesticide residues in the food chain. All these problems have highlighted the need for alternative biological control agents. Entomo-pathogenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Bacillus sphaericus (Bs) are two safe biological control agents. They have attracted considerable interest as possible replacements for the chemical insecticides. Although microbial insecticides based on Bt and Bs are available for use, their high cost makes large-scale application impracticable in developing countries. This review focuses on the economic production of these two microorganisms by submerged fermentation and solid state fermentation using agro-industrial by-products and other wastes.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Introduction and expression of the cry1Ac gene of Bacillus thuringiensis in a cereal-associated bacterium, Bacillus polymyxa.

The abilities of Bacillus polymyxa and Bacillus thuringiensis to survive on the rice phyllospere were compared; it was found that B. polymyxa colonizes the crop better. This study also showed that B. polymyxa inoculation to rice plants increased the shoot and the root growth of the crop. Efforts were made to introduce the cry1Ac gene of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki into B. polymyxa so that the application of such transgenic B. polymyxa strains would prove to be dually beneficial to rice crops both as a biopesticide and as a biofertilizer. Immunoblot analysis of the recombinant organism containing the cry1Ac gene, strain BP113, indicated efficient expression of this gene in the heterologous host. Bioassays with the first instar larvae of the yellow stem borer of rice (Scirpophaga incertulas) revealed that the protein preparations from BP113 were toxic.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis delta-endotoxin. Cloning and expression of the toxin in sporogenic and asporogenic strains of Bacillus subtilis.

A plasmid-borne gene from Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis encoding a 27,340 Mr insecticidal delta-endotoxin has been cloned on a bifunctional multicopy plasmid in a wild-type sporogenic strain and two asporogenic mutants of Bacillus subtilis. The delta-endotoxin gene is expressed at a low level during vegetative growth in all three strains, but the synthesis of the toxin increases markedly during the third hour of stationary phase for both the sporogenic strain and an asporogenic mutant containing the OJ lesion. However, in a stage OA mutant, this increase in delta-endotoxin synthesis is not observed. In both the wild-type sporogenic B. subtilis and the asporogenic OJ strain, phase-bright inclusions, resembling the israelensis crystal in appearance, are visible during late stationary phase. The insoluble inclusions from the B. subtilis transformants, consisting solely of the 27,340 Mr polypeptide, were purified by density gradient centrifugation and found to be extremely toxic to Aedes aegypti larvae. After solubilization in alkaline buffer, this polypeptide was also shown to be haemolytic for human erythrocytes and to lyse Aedes albopictus cells with the same LC50 value as native israelensis delta-endotoxin crystals. During stationary phase, novel mRNA species appear in both the wild-type strain and the OJ mutant, but not in the OA mutant, and these appear to be the major gene-specific transcripts. Transcriptional mapping of delta-endotoxin-specific mRNA has shown that the same region of initiation is used at a relatively low level in all three strains during vegetative growth.

Bacillus subtilis↗

PubMed2005

Occurrence and significance of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis in ready-to-eat food.

Among 48,901 samples of ready-to-eat food products at the Danish retail market, 0.5% had counts of Bacillus cereus-like bacteria above 10(4) cfu g(-1). The high counts were most frequently found in starchy, cooked products, but also in fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Forty randomly selected strains had at least one gene or component involved in human diarrhoeal disease, while emetic toxin was related to only one B. cereus strain. A new observation was that 31 out of the 40 randomly selected B. cereus-like strains could be classified as Bacillus thuringiensis due to crystal production and/or content of cry genes. Thus, a large proportion of the B. cereus-like organisms present in food may belong to B. thuringiensis.

Bacillus cereus↗