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MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND INTERACTIONS

The Intestinal Life Cycle of Bacillus subtilis and Close Relatives

Nguyen K. M. Tam, Nguyen Q. Uyen, Huynh A. Hong, Le H. Duc, Tran T. Hoa, Claudia R. Serra, Adriano O. Henriques, Simon M. Cutting
Nguyen K. M. Tam
1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
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Nguyen Q. Uyen
1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
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Huynh A. Hong
1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
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Le H. Duc
1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
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Tran T. Hoa
2Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Claudia R. Serra
3Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2781-901 Oeiras Codex, Portugal
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Adriano O. Henriques
3Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2781-901 Oeiras Codex, Portugal
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Simon M. Cutting
1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
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  • For correspondence: s.cutting@rhul.ac.uk
DOI: 10.1128/JB.188.7.2692-2700.2006
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ABSTRACT

Bacillus subtilis is considered a soil organism for which endospore formation provides a means to ensure long-term survival in the environment. We have addressed here the question of what happens to a spore when ingested. Spores displaying on their surface a heterologous antigen, tetanus toxin fragment C (TTFC), were shown to generate anti-TTFC responses not to the antigen contained in the primary oral inoculum but to those displayed on spores that had germinated and then resporulated. We then used reverse transcription-PCR to determine expression of vegetative genes and sporulation-specific genes in the mouse gut following oral dosing with spores. Significant levels of germination and sporulation were documented. Using natural isolates of B. subtilis that could form biofilms, we showed that these strains could persist in the mouse gut for significantly longer than the laboratory strain. Moreover, these isolates could grow and sporulate anaerobically and exhibited a novel phenomenon of being able to form spores in almost half the time required for the laboratory isolate. This suggests that spores are not transient passengers of the gastrointestinal tract but have adapted to carry out their entire life cycle within this environment. This is the first report showing an intestinal life cycle of B. subtilis and suggests that other Bacillus species could also be members of the gut microflora.

  • Copyright © 2006 American Society for Microbiology
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The Intestinal Life Cycle of Bacillus subtilis and Close Relatives
Nguyen K. M. Tam, Nguyen Q. Uyen, Huynh A. Hong, Le H. Duc, Tran T. Hoa, Claudia R. Serra, Adriano O. Henriques, Simon M. Cutting
Journal of Bacteriology Mar 2006, 188 (7) 2692-2700; DOI: 10.1128/JB.188.7.2692-2700.2006

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The Intestinal Life Cycle of Bacillus subtilis and Close Relatives
Nguyen K. M. Tam, Nguyen Q. Uyen, Huynh A. Hong, Le H. Duc, Tran T. Hoa, Claudia R. Serra, Adriano O. Henriques, Simon M. Cutting
Journal of Bacteriology Mar 2006, 188 (7) 2692-2700; DOI: 10.1128/JB.188.7.2692-2700.2006
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KEYWORDS

Bacillus subtilis
Intestines

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