title: Ecology and genomics of Bacillus subtilis.
abstract: Bacillus subtilis is a remarkably diverse bacterial species that is capable of growth within many environments. Recent microarray-based comparative genomic analyses have revealed that members of this species also exhibit considerable genomic diversity. The identification of strain-specific genes might explain how B. subtilis has become so broadly adapted. The goal of identifying ecologically adaptive genes could soon be realized with the imminent release of several new B. subtilis genome sequences. As we embark upon this exciting new era of B. subtilis comparative genomics we review what is currently known about the ecology and evolution of this species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Ashlee M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Earl
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Losick
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kolter
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004463:Ecology; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D023281:Genomics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins