Classification and genetic characterization of pattern-forming Bacilli.
Abstract
One of the more natural but less commonly studied forms of colonial bacterial growth
is pattern formation. This type of growth is characterized by bacterial populations
behaving in an organized manner to generate readily identifiable geometric and predictable
morphologies on solid and semi-solid surfaces. In our first attempt to study the molecular
basis of pattern formation in Bacillus subtilis, we stumbled upon an enigma: some
strains used to describe pattern formation in B. subtilis did not have the phenotypic
or genotypic characteristics of B. subtilis. In this report, we show that these strains
are actually not B. subtilis, but belong to a different class of Bacilli, group I.
We show further that commonly used laboratory strains of B. subtilis can co-exist
as mixed cultures with group I Bacilli, and that the latter go unnoticed when grown
on frequently used laboratory substrates. However, when B. subtilis is grown under
more stringent semiarid conditions, members of group I emerge in the form of complex
patterns. When B. subtilis is grown under less stringent and more motile conditions,
B. subtilis forms its own pattern, and members of group I remain unnoticed. These
findings have led us to revise some of the mechanistic and evolutionary hypotheses
that have been proposed to explain pattern growth in Bacilli.
Type
Journal articleSubject
BacillusBacillus subtilis
Base Sequence
Blotting, Southern
Cell Division
Drug Resistance, Microbial
Molecular Sequence Data
Phenotype
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Spores, Bacterial
beta-Galactosidase
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Erich David Jarvis
Adjunct Professor in the Dept. of Neurobiology
Dr. Jarvis' laboratory studies the neurobiology of vocal communication. Emphasis is
placed on the molecular pathways involved in the perception and production of learned
vocalizations. They use an integrative approach that combines behavioral, anatomical,
electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. The main animal model used
is songbirds, one of the few vertebrate groups that evolved the ability to learn vocalizations.
The generality of the discoveries is tested in other vocal

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