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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Immunofluorescence Analysis of Stress Granule Formation After Bacterial Challenge of Mammalian Cells
Published on: July 3, 2017
SigB-dependent general stress response in Bacillus subtilis and related gram-positive bacteria
Michael Hecker1, Jan Pané-Farré, Uwe Völker
1Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität, Greifswald 17489, Germany. hecker@uni-greifswald.de
Abstract:
One of the strongest and most noticeable responses of Bacillus subtilis cells to a range of stress and starvation stimuli is the dramatic induction of about 150 SigB-dependent general stress genes. The activity of SigB itself is tightly regulated by a complex signal transduction cascade with at least three main signaling pathways that respond to environmental stress, energy depletion, or low temperature. The SigB-dependent response is conserved in related gram-positive bacteria but is missing in strictly anaerobic or in some facultatively anaerobic gram-positive bacteria. It covers functions from nonspecific and multiple stress resistance to the control of virulence in pathogenic bacteria. A comprehensive understanding of this crucial stress response is essential not only for bacterial physiology but also for applied microbiology, including pathogenicity and pathogen control.
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