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Updated: Oct 22, 2025

Methodologies for Studying B. subtilis Biofilms as a Model for Characterizing Small Molecule Biofilm Inhibitors
Published on: October 9, 2016
The Intertwined Roles of Specialized Metabolites within the Bacillus subtilis Biofilm
Margarita Kalamara1, Nicola R Stanley-Wall1
1Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Bacteria produce specialized metabolites with a range of functions. In this issue of the Journal of Bacteriology, Schoenborn et al. study the production and role of secondary metabolites during biofilm development and sporulation in Bacillus subtilis (A. A. Schoenborn, S. M. Yannarell, E. D. Wallace, H. Clapper, et al., J Bacteriol 203:e00337-21, 2021, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00337-21). Most metabolites studied are produced during differentiation, and six are required for the development of biofilms and/or spores. The authors propose a model for the timing of production and role in differentiation exerted by each secondary metabolite.
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