The Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis has been used for more than 50 years as a model to understand the detailed functions and complex interactions of cellular components. As a result it is one of the best understood of all living organisms. The soil-dwelling bacterium B. subtilis is well equipped to respond and adapt to changing environmental conditions. Not in the last place due to its genetic tractability, B. subtilis is exceptionally well suited for studying signal transduction and gene regulatory networks as well as cell differentiation processes, such as endospore formation or biofilm development. In addition to this importance to basic science, Bacillus species are industrially important cell factories. In particular, their high capacity for protein secretion makes these bacteria highly attractive for the production of recombinant proteins like extracellular enzymes and pharmaceutical proteins.

Research groups working on Bacillus Click here