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Published on: September 17, 2016
The Bacillus subtilis circadian clock coordinates intricate spatiotemporal organisation
Jack Dorling1, Francesca Sartor2, Borja Ferrero-Bordera2
1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK.
Nature Communications
|June 18, 2026
Summary
The Bacillus subtilis circadian clock controls colony expansion and gene expression timing. This bacterial circadian regulation is similar to processes seen in plants and mammals.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Chronobiology
- Bacterial Development
Background:
- Circadian clocks are vital for many organisms, synchronizing biological processes with the 24-hour solar cycle.
- The role of circadian clocks in non-photosynthetic bacteria remains largely unexplored.
- Understanding bacterial circadian clocks offers insights into fundamental biological timing mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of the circadian clock in Bacillus subtilis, a non-photosynthetic bacterium.
- To determine how the bacterial circadian clock influences colony expansion and development.
- To explore the coordination between circadian regulation and other key bacterial pathways.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Bacillus subtilis as a model organism.
- Investigated colony expansion dynamics.
- Analyzed gene expression patterns in relation to circadian timing and colony regions.
- Examined the interplay with developmental and differentiation pathways.
Main Results:
- The Bacillus subtilis circadian clock was found to regulate colony expansion.
- The clock coordinates spatiotemporal gene expression within expanding colonies.
- Specific processes are timed to distinct phases of the day within different colony regions.
- Circadian regulation was observed to work in concert with developmental pathways.
Conclusions:
- The Bacillus subtilis circadian clock plays a significant role in colony development and organization.
- Bacterial circadian clock regulation of space, time, and development parallels that in multicellular eukaryotes.
- This study highlights the conserved nature of circadian clock functions across diverse life forms.
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