Contrasting evolutionary patterns of spore coat proteins in two Bacillus species groups are linked to a difference in cellular structure.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Bacillus subtilis-group and the Bacillus cereus-group are two well-studied groups of species in the genus Bacillus. Bacteria in this genus can produce a highly resistant cell type, the spore, which is encased in a complex protective protein shell called the coat. Spores in the B. cereus-group contain an additional outer layer, the exosporium, which encircles the coat. The coat in B. subtilis spores possesses inner and outer layers. The aim of this study is to investigate whether differences in the spore structures influenced the divergence of the coat protein genes during the evolution of these two Bacillus species groups.

Results

We designed and implemented a computational framework to compare the evolutionary histories of coat proteins. We curated a list of

SUBMITTER: Qin H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4219348 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature