Complete Genome Sequence of Bacillus cereus Sensu Lato Bacteriophage Bcp1.

Bacillus cereus sensu lato organisms are an ecologically diverse group that includes etiologic agents of food poisoning, periodontal disease, and anthrax. The recently identified Bcp1 bacteriophage infects B. cereus sensu lato and is being developed as a therapeutic decontamination agent and diagnostic countermeasure.

A novel spore protein, ExsM, regulates formation of the exosporium in Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis and affects spore size and shape.

Bacillus cereus spores are assembled with a series of concentric layers that protect them from a wide range of environmental stresses. The outermost layer, or exosporium, is a bag-like structure that interacts with the environment and is composed of more than 20 proteins and glycoproteins. Here, we identified a new spore protein, ExsM, from a beta-mercaptoethanol extract of B.

Transforming growth factor beta1 regulates follistatin mRNA expression during in vitro bovine granulosa cell differentiation.

In order to test the hypothesis that transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) acts by FS regulation on bovine granulosa cells in in vitro differentiation, we analyzed the effect of TGF-beta1 on follistatin mRNA expression in three differentiation states of bovine granulosa cells. We showed a positive regulation of FS mRNA after TGF-beta1 (1 ng/ml) treatment of freshly isolated granulosa cells from small-medium antral follicles (2-8 mm). This effect was abolished by the addition of exogenous follistatin (100 ng/ml), suggesting that this effect could be mediated by activin.