title: Challenges and advances in systems biology analysis of Bacillus spore physiology; molecular differences between an extreme heat resistant spore forming Bacillus subtilis food isolate and a laboratory strain.
abstract: Bacterial spore formers are prime organisms of concern in the food industry. Spores from the genus Bacillus are extremely stress resistant, most notably exemplified by high thermotolerance. This sometimes allows surviving spores to germinate and grow out to vegetative cells causing food spoilage and possible intoxication. Similar issues though more pending toward spore toxigenicity are observed for the anaerobic Clostridia. The paper indicates the nature of stress resistance and highlights contemporary molecular approaches to analyze the mechanistic basis of it in Bacilli. A molecular comparison between a laboratory strain and a food borne isolate, very similar at the genomic level to the laboratory strain but generating extremely heat resistant spores, is discussed. The approaches cover genome-wide genotyping, proteomics and genome-wide expression analyses studies. The analyses aim at gathering sufficient molecular information to be able to put together an initial framework for dynamic modelling of spore germination and outgrowth behaviour. Such emerging models should be developed both at the population and at the single spore level. Tools and challenges in achieving the latter are succinctly discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbial Food Safety (MBMFS), Netherlands Institute for Systems Biology (NISB), University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.brul@uva.nl
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brul
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Beilen
authors.forename: Martien
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caspers
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Koster
authors.forename: Suus
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oomes
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smelt
authors.forename: Remco
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kort
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ter Beek
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001407:Bacillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000502:physiology; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005516:Food Microbiology; D023281:Genomics; D005838:Genotype; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D040901:Proteomics; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000254:growth & development