Focusing on issues of gene organization, regulation, and evolution in the context of the whole life of the cell, this new volume complements the editors' classic 1993 volume Bacillus subtilis and Other Gram-Positive Bacteria. Building upon the previous edition, Bacillus subtilis and Its Closest Relatives contains an updated annotation of the complete B. subtilis genome and includes a unique compilation of major pathways of metabolism and macromolecular synthesis, correlating genes and proteins and assigning new functions to many genes. It also provides clear explanations of the major regulatory mechanisms that are unique to gram-positive bacteria as well as an overview of their special properties. This essential reference offers detailed, current information and is valuable reading for microbiologists, biotechnologists, and students.

The field of microbiology has developed considerably in the last 20 years, building exponentially on its own discoveries and growing to encompass many other disciplines. Unfortunately, the literature in the field tends to be either encyclopedic in scope or presented as a textbook and oriented for the student. Finding its niche between these two pol

The latest volume in the Advanced Biotechnology series provides an overview of the main production hosts and platform organisms used today as well as promising future cell factories in a two volume book. Alongside describing tools for genetic and metabolic engineering for strain improvement, the authors also impart topical information on computational tools, safety aspects and industrial-scale production. Following an introduction to general concepts, historical developments and future technologies, the text goes on to cover multi-purpose bacterial cell factories, including those organisms that exploit anaerobic biosynthetic power. Further chapters deal with microbes used for the production of high-value natural compounds and those obtained from alternative raw material sources, concluding with eukaryotic workhorses.

Bacteriologists from all levels of expertise and within all specialties rely on this Manual as one of the most comprehensive and authoritative works. Since publication of the first edition of the Systematics, the field has undergone revolutionary changes, leading to a phylogenetic classification of prokaryotes based on sequencing of the small ribosomal subunit. The list of validly named species has more than doubled since publication of the first edition, and descriptions of over 2000 new and realigned species are included in this new edition along with more in-depth ecological information about individual taxa and extensive introductory essays by leading authorities in the field.

The study of bacterial spores spans biosecurity to ecology The first articles describing the sporulation process were published by Robert Koch and Ferdinand Cohn in the late 19th century. Although most of the work accomplished in the past 50 years has focused on the model organism Bacillus subtilis, more recent work significantly expanded the scope of sporulation research to integrate medically relevant spore pathogens, such as B. anthracis and Clostridium difficile, as well as investigations of the ecology of spore-forming species. This new direction is supported by an explosion of novel techniques that can also be applied to nonmodel organisms, such as next-generation sequencing, metagenomics, and transcriptomics. The Bacterial Spore provides a comprehensive series of reviews of the major topics in spore biology that represent intensive, cutting-edge spore research. Editors Adam Driks and Patrick Eichenberger assembled chapters written by a team of diverse and multidisciplinary experts in biodefense and microbial forensics to produce an overview of topics of spore research, such as spore molecular biology, bioremediation, systems biology, issues in biodefense, and the challenge of food safety that is accessible to any reader, regardless of expertise. The Bacterial Spore also encompasses the diversity of spore research, which will appeal to those seeking to broaden their knowledge. The Bacterial Spore is a reference for a wide range of readers, including geneticists, cell biologists, physiologists, structural and evolutionary biologists, applied scientists, advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and nonresearchers, such as national security professionals.

Genetics and Biotechnology of Bacilli contains the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Genetics and Biotechnology of Bacilli, held at Stanford University in Stanford, California, on July 6-8, 1983. Contributors discuss the progress that has been made concerning the genetics and biotechnology of Bacillus and focus on topics built around the themes of chromosomal organization, secretion, transcription, gene cloning, gene expression, and synthesis of sporulation-associated products. This text is organized into 33 chapters and begins with an overview of bacteriophage lambda biology, with emphasis on lambda insertion, controlled DNA rearrangements, operator-promoter function, and the evolution of extrachromosomal elements. The reader is then introduced to genetic mapping of cloned ribosomal RNA genes, gene amplification in Bacillus subtilis, beta-lactamases of Bacilli, and the role of a Bacillus secretion vector in the secretion of foreign gene products. This book also gives an account of various facets of Bacillus biology, especially in the identification of promoters, cloning of foreign genes, and selection of expressed gene products. This reference material is a valuable resource for geneticists, microbiologists, and biotechnologists, as well as students and researchers in the fields of molecular biology and biochemistry.