Endospores of Bacillus spp., especially Bacillus subtilis, have served as experimental
models for exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying the incredible longevity of …

The cell wall envelope of gram-positive bacteria is a macromolecular, exoskeletal organelle
that is assembled and turned over at designated sites. The cell wall also functions as a …

One of the most salient features of Bacillus subtilis and related bacilli is their natural capacity
to secrete a variety of proteins into their environment, frequently to high concentrations. This …

Secretory proteins perform a variety of important “remote-control” functions for bacterial
survival in the environment. The availability of complete genome sequences has allowed us …

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been proposed as a novel class of antimicrobials that
could aid the fight against antibiotic resistant bacteria. The mode of action of AMPs as acting …

Infections are known to trigger flares of autoimmune diseases in humans and serve as an
inciting cause of autoimmunity in animals. Evidence suggests a causative role of infections …

The normal, unmodified glycan strands of bacterial peptidoglycan consist of alternating
residues of β-1, 4-linked N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. In many species …

This review describes the application of matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)
mass spectrometry to carbohydrate analysis and covers the period 1991–1998. The …

Insects depend solely upon innate immune responses to survive infection. These responses
include the activation of extracellular protease cascades, leading to melanization and …

Autolysins are bacteriolytic enzymes that digest the cellwall peptidoglycan of the bacteria
that produce them (Shockman & Ho $ ltje, 1994). Although potentially lethal, autolysins …