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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

Fluorescence Live-cell Imaging of the Complete Vegetative Cell Cycle of the Slow-growing Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus
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A serine sensor for multicellularity in a bacterium.

Arvind R Subramaniam1, Aaron Deloughery, Niels Bradshaw

  • 1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.

Elife
|December 19, 2013
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bacillus subtilis biofilm formation is controlled by serine codon usage in the SinR gene, not dedicated RNA or proteins. This discovery reveals a simple environmental sensing mechanism impacting bacterial adaptation.

Keywords:
biofilmcodon usageribosome pausingstarvation

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Bacterial Physiology

Background:

  • Biofilm formation in Bacillus subtilis is crucial for bacterial survival and pathogenesis.
  • Environmental cues regulate biofilm development through complex signaling pathways.
  • The role of synonymous codon usage in bacterial gene regulation is an emerging area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate a novel environmental sensing mechanism for biofilm formation in Bacillus subtilis.
  • To investigate the role of specific serine codons in regulating the expression of the biofilm repressor SinR.
  • To understand how translational efficiency influences bacterial adaptation to environmental conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of synonymous serine codon substitutions (TCN vs. AGC/AGT) in the SinR gene.
  • Measurement of SinR protein levels and biofilm formation under varying conditions.
  • Genome-wide ribosome profiling to assess translational dynamics.
  • Induction of serine starvation to mimic stationary phase conditions.

Main Results:

  • Specific serine codons (TCN) in the SinR gene reduce SinR levels during biofilm induction.
  • Synonymous codon changes significantly alter biofilm formation and gene expression.
  • Ribosome density is higher at UCN codons compared to AGC/AGU codons during biofilm formation.
  • Serine starvation mimics biofilm-inducing conditions, affecting ribosome occupancy and SinR production.

Conclusions:

  • Bacillus subtilis utilizes synonymous serine codon usage as a simple environmental sensor for biofilm formation.
  • Translational speed at serine codons regulates SinR protein levels, impacting biofilm development.
  • This mechanism, exploiting serine exhaustion in stationary phase, may be a conserved strategy for bacterial adaptation.