Inactivation of the conserved protease LonA increases production of xylanase and amylase in Bacillus subtilis.

Background: Bacillus subtilis is widely used for industrial enzyme production due to its capacity to efficiently secrete proteins. However, secretion efficiency of enzymes varies widely, and optimizing secretion is crucial to make production commercially viable. Previously, we have shown that overexpression of the xylanase XynA lowers expression of Clp protein chaperones, and that inactivation of CtsR, which regulates and represses clp transcription, increases the production of XynA.

Membrane depolarization kills dormant Bacillus subtilis cells by generating a lethal dose of ROS.

The bactericidal activity of several antibiotics partially relies on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is generally linked to enhanced respiration and requires the Fenton reaction. Bacterial persister cells, an important cause of recurring infections, are tolerant to these antibiotics because they are in a dormant state. Here, we use Bacillus subtilis cells in stationary phase, as a model system of dormant cells, to show that pharmacological induction of membrane depolarization enhances the antibiotics' bactericidal activity and also leads to ROS production.

Development of a split-luciferase assay to establish optimal protein secretion conditions for protein production by .

is a Gram-positive bacterium that is frequently used in the bioindustry for the production of various proteins, because of its superior protein secretion capacities. To determine optimal conditions for protein secretion by , a quick and sensitive method for measuring protein secretion is crucial. A fast and universal assay is most useful for detecting diverse proteins in a high-throughput manner.

Improving gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) by using regulation directionality.

To infer the biological meaning from transcriptome data, it is useful to focus on genes that are regulated by the same regulator, i.e., regulons.

Microwell-enhanced optical rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing of single bacteria.

Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics present an increasing burden on healthcare. To address this emerging crisis, novel rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) methods are eagerly needed. Here, we present an optical AST technique that can determine the bacterial viability within 1 h down to a resolution of single bacteria.