Bacillus thuringiensis

From MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource

A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Bacillus thuringiensis

Classification

Higher order taxa

Domain; Phylum; Class; Order; family [Others may be used. Bacteria (domain); Firmicutes (phylum); Bacilli (class); Bacillales (order); Bacillaceae (family); Bacillus (genus); Bacillus cereus group

Species

"Bacillus thuringiensis"

Description and significance

Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why it is important enough to have its genome sequenced. Describe how and where it was isolated. Include a picture or two (with sources) if you can find them.

Genome structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence? Does it have any plasmids? Are they important to the organism's lifestyle? Bacillus thuringiensis has a circular plasmid chromosome. Due to its 2% GC-content, it has more A/G base pairs. Compared to its bacterial relatives, Bt's genome is not big at all. It is only 5,475 nucleotides long and consists of only seven genes: pK1S1_p1, pK1S1_p2, pK1S1_p3, pK1S1_p4, pK1S1_p5, pK1S1_p6, and pK1S1_p7.

Cell structure and metabolism

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Ecology

Describe any interactions with other organisms (included eukaryotes), contributions to the environment, effect on environment, etc.

Pathology

How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

Application to Biotechnology

Does this organism produce any useful compounds or enzymes? What are they and how are they used?

Current Research

Enter summaries of the most recent research here--at least three required

References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

National Center for Biotechnology Information

Edited by Ernest Hsu of Rachel Larsen and Kit Pogliano