A Duo of Potassium-Responsive Histidine Kinases Govern the Multicellular Destiny of Bacillus subtilis.

Unlabelled: Multicellular biofilm formation and surface motility are bacterial behaviors considered mutually exclusive. However, the basic decision to move over or stay attached to a surface is poorly understood. Here, we discover that in Bacillus subtilis, the key root biofilm-controlling transcription factor Spo0A~Pi (phosphorylated Spo0A) governs the flagellum-independent mechanism of social sliding motility.

Photocatalytic and biocidal activities of novel coating systems of mesoporous and dense TiO₂-anatase containing silver nanoparticles.

Here we describe the development of novel nanostructured coating systems with improved photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. These systems comprise a layer of SiO2 followed by a layer of mesoporous or dense TiO2-anatase, and doping with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The coatings were synthesized via a sol-gel technique by combining colloidal Ag NPs with TiO2 and SiO2 sols.

Spo0A links de novo fatty acid synthesis to sporulation and biofilm development in Bacillus subtilis.

During sporulation in Bacillus subtilis, the committed-cell undergoes substantial membrane rearrangements to generate two cells of different sizes and fates: the mother cell and the forespore. Here, we demonstrate that the master transcription factor Spo0A reactivates lipid synthesis during development. Maximal Spo0A-dependent lipid synthesis occurs during the key stages of asymmetric division and forespore engulfment.