Spores of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, possess an exosporium. As the outer surface layer of these mature spores, the exosporium represents the primary contact surface between the spore and environment/host and is a site of spore antigens. The exosporium was isolated from the endospores of the B. anthracis wild-type Ames strain, from a derivative of the Ames strain cured o...

A fluorescent heteroduplex method was developed to assess the presence of 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) sequences from Bacillus anthracis and close relatives in PCR-amplified 16S rDNA sequence mixtures from environmental samples. The method uses a single-stranded, fluorescent DNA probe, 464 nucleotides in length, derived from a B. anthracis 16S rRNA gene. The probe contains a unique, engineered deletion...

For some microbial species, such as Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of the disease anthrax, correct detection and identification by molecular methods can be problematic. The detection of virulent B. anthracis is challenging due to multiple virulence markers that need to be present in order for B. anthracis to be virulent and its close relationship to Bacillus cereus and other members of...

Bacillus anthracis transitions from a dormant spore to a vegetative bacillus through a series of structural and biochemical changes collectively referred to as germination. The timing of germination is important during early steps in infection and may determine if B. anthracis survives or succumbs to responsive macrophages. In the current study experiments determined the contribution of endogen...

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax in humans, livestock, and wildlife, exists a community with hundreds other species bacteria environment. Work on genetics these communities has shown that B. anthracis shares high percentage chromosomal genes both thuringiensis cereus, phenotypic differences among can result from extra-chromosomal DNA form plasmids. We developed simple hypothet...

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is a worldwide problem because of the need for effective treatment of respiratory infections shortly after exposure. One potential key enzyme of B. anthracis to be targeted by antiproliferative drugs is ribonucleotide reductase. It provides deoxyribonucleotides for DNA synthesis needed for spore germination and growth of the pathogen. We have ...

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a glycerol phosphate polymer, is a component of the envelope of Gram-positive bacteria that has hitherto not been identified in Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. LTA synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus and other microbes is catalyzed by the product of the ltaS gene, a membrane protein that polymerizes polyglycerol phosphate from phosphatidyl glycerol. H...

Bacillus spp. and Clostridium spp. form a specialized cell type, called a spore, during a multistep differentiation process that is initiated in response to starvation. Spores are protected by a morphologically complex protein coat. The Bacillus anthracis coat is of particular interest because the spore is the infective particle of anthrax. We determined the roles of several B. anthracis orthol...

Bacillus anthracis is a severe mammalian pathogen encoding a class Ib ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). RNR is a universal enzyme that provides the four essential deoxyribonucleotides needed for DNA replication and repair. Almost all Bacillus spp. encode both class Ib and class III RNR operons, but the B. anthracis class III operon was reported to encode a pseudogene, and conceivably class Ib RNR...