Gemma Reguera

Reguera, Gemma

Hemeroteca Cientifica Catalana

BOOK REVIEWINTERNATIONAL MICROBIOLOGY (2007) 10:227ISSN: 1139-6709 www.im.microbios.org Bacillus. Cellularand molecularbiologyPETER GRAUMANN (ED.)2007, Caister Academic Press454 pp, 16 × 24 cm Price: £ 120 ISBN: 978-1-904455-12-7Bacillus. Cellular and Molecular Biology provides a mostcomprehensive and authoritative account on the latestresearch on Bacillus subtilis. If you thought nothing new andexciting could come up from studies of an organism that hasbeen the focus of intense research for more than 60 years,you are here for a big surprise. Despite being one of the beststudied bacterial systems in terms of molecular biology andcell biology, new approaches to study B. subtilis have provid-ed novel and exciting insights into the dynamic processesoccurring in single cell organisms as well as their social inter-actions in a communal setting. B. subtilis is a gram-positive bacterium that is ubiquitous insoils. It is highly amenable to genetic manipulation and, forthis reason, it has been widely adopted as a model bacterialsystem and the ‘gram-positive equivalent’ of Escherichia coli.In contrast to E. coli, B. subtilis can divide asymmetrically,producing an endospore as a part of its vital cycle in unfavor-able conditions, such as nutrient limitation. This has made B.subtilis an ideal system to study cell differentiation. Certaincell attributes such as flagellar motility and competence alsomay be induced prior to sporulation. Thus, B. subtilis alsoserves as a model system to study global regulatory networks.Certain cellular processes such as DNA replication andthe coordination of chromosome replication and segregationwith cell division have been studied in great detail in both B.subtilis and E. coli. The similarities and differences observedin both organisms have helped to define the basic conserva-tion underlying such vital processes while highlighting thedifferent strategies employed by bacteria to adapt cellularmechanisms to their particular lifestyle. In the first chapter ofthe book, for example, Philippe Noirot and collaborators pro-vide an elegant review of what is known about DNA replica-tion in B. subtilis in comparison to E. coli, and highlightthose differences that are the basis of the conservationobserved in chromosome duplication in gram-positive bacte-ria. The application of improved fluorescence microscopytechniques and genetic and genomic tools has also providednovel insights into the dynamics of cell components such asthe bacterial cytoskeleton, which is nicely reviewed in one ofthe chapters.Most of what is known about B. subtilis derives from thestudy of single cells from planktonic cultures of laboratorystrains. Cell differentiation and multicellular growth inBacillus was restricted to endospore formation. Recent stud-ies have shown, however, that natural, undomesticated iso-lates of B. subtilis have the ability to grow as surface attachedmulticellular communities or biofilms. The ability to study B.subtilis in an in vitro communal setting has opened newavenues to investigate all aspects of multicellular processesin an organism that is so well-defined and well-known at thesingle cell level. Elegantly reviewed by Eduardo González-Pastor in the last chapter of the book, the social behavior ofB. subtilis highlights the novel insights that can be gainedwhen studying bacteria in a communal setting, such as fratri-cidal behaviors, and the deep implications that these studieshave in our understanding of the adaptive responses thatenable microorganisms to survive in their natural environ-ment. This is an amazing new field of research that is yet tobe fully explored. It again emphasizes that B. subtilis is stillat the forefront of bacterial research.In addition to the depth of knowledge and detaileddescription of the latest research, the book chapters are wellwritten and nicely organized so that the reader can follow thedescription of cell cycle events such as DNA replication,DNA repair, chromosome segregation and cell division andcell cycle regulatory mechanisms just as they would be timedin the cell cycle. Care also has been taken to blend writingstyles and allow the flow from chapter to chapter, thus facil-itating the reading. The book is also perfect as a reference foradvanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses, as itpresents the latest research in bacterial molecular biology,differentiation, gene/protein regulation and development in aclearly written and well-illustrated style. It provides a perfectbalance of descriptive background information and detailedexperimental methods, while giving a thorough account ofthe latest discoveries. A must read for anybody interested injust about any aspect of bacterial research.GEMMA REGUERAMichigan State Universityreguera@msu.edu

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