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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Single-cell Analysis of Bacillus subtilis Biofilms Using Fluorescence Microscopy and Flow Cytometry
Published on: February 15, 2012
The lytE gene of Bacillus subtilis 168 encodes a cell wall hydrolase
P Margot1, M Wahlen, A Gholamhoseinian
1Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Microbiennes, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Bacillus subtilis cell wall-bound protein CWBP33 is encoded by lytE, a gene expressed during the exponential growth phase. Sequence analysis of LytE, a 33-kDa protein, reveals two domains. The N-terminal domain contains a threefold-repeated motif common to several peptidoglycan binding proteins, while the C-terminal domain, probably carrying the catalytic activity, has homology with certain exoproteins. Zymographs unambiguously reveal that the absence of CWBP33, due to inactivation of lytE, is accompanied by the loss of a lytic activity. In lytE mutants, the cell autolysis rate is significantly decreased, although autolysis of corresponding, purified cell walls does not seem to be affected.
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