This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bindel Connelly, M.
Right arrow Articles by Sloma, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bindel Connelly, M.
Right arrow Articles by Sloma, A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, July 2004, p. 4159-4167, Vol. 186, No. 13
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.13.4159-4167.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Extracellular Proteolytic Activity Plays a Central Role in Swarming Motility in Bacillus subtilis

Mariah Bindel Connelly,1,2* Glenn M. Young,2,3 and Alan Sloma1

Novozymes Biotech, Inc.,1 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Graduate Group,2 Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, California 956163

Received 12 February 2004/ Accepted 26 March 2004

Natural isolates of Bacillus subtilis exhibit a robust multicellular behavior known as swarming. A form of motility, swarming is characterized by a rapid, coordinated progression of a bacterial population across a surface. As a collective bacterial process, swarming is often associated with biofilm formation and has been linked to virulence factor expression in pathogenic bacteria. While the swarming phenotype has been well documented for Bacillus species, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible remains largely isolated to gram-negative bacteria. To better understand how swarming is controlled in members of the genus Bacillus, we investigated the effect of a series of gene deletions on swarm motility. Our analysis revealed that a strain deficient for the production of surfactin and extracellular proteolytic activity did not swarm or form biofilm. While it is known that surfactin, a lipoprotein surfactant, functions in swarming motility by reducing surface tension, this is the first report demonstrating that general extracellular protease activity also has an important function. These results not only help to define the factors involved in eliciting swarm migration but support the idea that swarming and biofilm formation may have overlapping control mechanisms.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Novozymes Biotech, Inc., 1445 Drew Ave., Davis, CA 95616. Phone: (530) 757-8179. Fax: (530) 758-0317. E-mail: mbin{at}novozymes.com.

Journal of Bacteriology, July 2004, p. 4159-4167, Vol. 186, No. 13
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.13.4159-4167.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Patrick, J. E., Kearns, D. B. (2009). Laboratory Strains of Bacillus subtilis Do Not Exhibit Swarming Motility. J. Bacteriol. 191: 7129-7133 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Stewart, C. R., Rossier, O., Cianciotto, N. P. (2009). Surface Translocation by Legionella pneumophila: a Form of Sliding Motility That Is Dependent upon Type II Protein Secretion. J. Bacteriol. 191: 1537-1546 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hamze, K., Julkowska, D., Autret, S., Hinc, K., Nagorska, K., Sekowska, A., Holland, I. B., Seror, S. J. (2009). Identification of genes required for different stages of dendritic swarming in Bacillus subtilis, with a novel role for phrC. Microbiology 155: 398-412 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Overhage, J., Bains, M., Brazas, M. D., Hancock, R. E. W. (2008). Swarming of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Is a Complex Adaptation Leading to Increased Production of Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Resistance. J. Bacteriol. 190: 2671-2679 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kobayashi, K. (2007). Bacillus subtilis Pellicle Formation Proceeds through Genetically Defined Morphological Changes. J. Bacteriol. 189: 4920-4931 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Callegan, M. C., Novosad, B. D., Ramirez, R., Ghelardi, E., Senesi, S. (2006). Role of swarming migration in the pathogenesis of bacillus endophthalmitis.. IOVS 47: 4461-4467 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hsueh, Y.-H., Somers, E. B., Lereclus, D., Wong, A. C. L. (2006). Biofilm Formation by Bacillus cereus Is Influenced by PlcR, a Pleiotropic Regulator.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 5089-5092 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Calvio, C., Celandroni, F., Ghelardi, E., Amati, G., Salvetti, S., Ceciliani, F., Galizzi, A., Senesi, S. (2005). Swarming Differentiation and Swimming Motility in Bacillus subtilis Are Controlled by swrA, a Newly Identified Dicistronic Operon. J. Bacteriol. 187: 5356-5366 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Julkowska, D., Obuchowski, M., Holland, I. B., Seror, Simone. J. (2005). Comparative Analysis of the Development of Swarming Communities of Bacillus subtilis 168 and a Natural Wild Type: Critical Effects of Surfactin and the Composition of the Medium. J. Bacteriol. 187: 65-76 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Carniol, K., Gilmore, M. S. (2004). Signal Transduction, Quorum-Sensing, and Extracellular Protease Activity in Enterococcus faecalis Biofilm Formation. J. Bacteriol. 186: 8161-8163 [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»