Bacillus subtilis Genome Diversity

Harvard Medical School, Dept. of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.; Harvard University, Dept. of Molecular & Cellular Biology, The Biological Laboratories, 16 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: rkolter{at}hms.harvard.edu.

	Abstract

Microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (M-CGH) is a powerful method for rapidly identifying regions of genome diversity among closely related organisms. We have used M-CGH to examine genome diversity among 17 strains within the non-pathogenic species, Bacillus subtilis. Our M-CGH results indicate that there is considerable genetic heterogeneity among members of this species; nearly one-third of Bsu168-specific genes exhibited variability as measured by the microarray hybridization intensities. Variable loci include those encoding proteins involved in antibiotic production, cell wall synthesis, sporulation and germination. Diversity in these genes may reflect this organism's ability to survive in diverse natural settings.