caa a22 4500 605503532 CHVBK 20210128100611.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150201xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00253-014-6316-0 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00253-014-6316-0 What renders Bacilli genetically competent? A gaze beyond the model organism [Elektronische Daten] [Mareike Jakobs, Friedhelm Meinhardt] Natural genetic competence enables bacteria to take in and establish exogenously supplied DNA and thus constitutes a valuable tool for strain improvement. Extensively studied in the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis genetic competence has indeed proven successful for genetic manipulation aiming at enhancement of handling, yield, and biosafety. The majority of Bacilli, particularly those relevant for industrial application, do not or only poorly develop genetic competence, although rather homologous DNA-uptake machineries are routinely encoded. Establishing the competent state solely due to high cell densities (quorum sensing dependency) appears to be restricted to the model organism, in which the small signalling peptide ComS initiates the regulatory pathway that ultimately leads to the expression of all genes necessary for reaching the competent state. Agreeing with the lack of a functional ComS peptide, competence-mediated transformation of other Bacilli depends on nutrient exhaustion rather than cell density. Genetically, competent strains of the model organism B. subtilis, cultivated for a long time and selected for laboratory purposes, display probably not least to such selection a point mutation in the promoter of a regulatory gene that favors competence development whereas the wild-type progenitor only poorly displays genetic competence. Consistent with competence being a matter of deregulation, all strains of Bacillus licheniformis displaying efficient DNA uptake were found to carry mutations in regulator genes, which are responsible for their genetic competence. Thus, strain-specific genetic equipment and regulation as well as the proven role of domestication for the well-established laboratory strains ought to be considered when attempting to broaden the applicability of competence as a genetic tool for strains other than the model organism. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 Natural genetic competence nationallicence Bacilli nationallicence Quorum sensing nationallicence DNA uptake nationallicence Jakobs Mareike Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Corrensstrasse 3, 48149, Münster, Germany aut Meinhardt Friedhelm Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Corrensstrasse 3, 48149, Münster, Germany aut Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Springer Berlin Heidelberg 99/4(2015-02-01), 1557-1570 0175-7598 99:4<1557 2015 99 253 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6316-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 review-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6316-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Jakobs Mareike Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Corrensstrasse 3, 48149, Münster, Germany aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Meinhardt Friedhelm Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Corrensstrasse 3, 48149, Münster, Germany aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Springer Berlin Heidelberg 99/4(2015-02-01), 1557-1570 0175-7598 99:4<1557 2015 99 253