Glycerol metabolism impacts biofilm phenotypes and virulence in via the Entner-Doudoroff pathway.

is a ubiquitous bacterium and a notorious opportunistic pathogen that forms biofilm structures in response to many environmental cues. Biofilm formation includes attachment to surfaces and the production of the exopolysaccharide Pel, which is present in both the PAO1 and PA14 laboratory strains of . Biofilms help protect bacterial cells from host defenses and antibiotics and abet infection.

Bacillus subtilis Stressosome Sensor Protein Sequences Govern the Ability To Distinguish among Environmental Stressors and Elicit Different σ Response Profiles.

Bacteria use a variety of systems to sense stress and mount an appropriate response to ensure fitness and survival. Bacillus subtilis uses stressosomes-cytoplasmic multiprotein complexes-to sense environmental stressors and enact the general stress response by activating the alternative sigma factor σ. Each stressosome includes 40 RsbR proteins, representing four paralogous (RsbRA, RsbRB, RsbRC, and RsbRD) putative stress sensors.