Analysis of the spore structure in the model species Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium

Abstract

In my PhD project I studied two bacteria of the same genus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium. These organisms are Gram-positive, spore formers and, therefore, share the ability to undergo a complex developmental cell differentiation process and produce highly resistant spores. My studies focused on the molecular characterization of the spore surface of these two bacterial species. In particular I characterized the role of three coat components, CotG, CotH and CotE in Bacillus subtilis and I identified a protein involved in the exosporium assembly in Bacillus megaterium. I also investigated on the possibility to use B. megaterium spores as a platform to display heterologous proteins with various biological activities on their surface in order to use them for biotechnological applications.