Applications of Bacillus subtilis Spores in Biotechnology and Advanced Materials

• Published in: Applied and environmental microbiology Vol. 86; no. 17
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiaopei, Al-Dossary, Amal, Hussain, Myer, Setlow, Peter, Li, Jiahe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 18.08.2020
• Subjects: Bacillus subtilis; Biotechnology; Construction Materials - microbiology; Drug delivery; Drug delivery systems; Environmental protection; Environmental stress; Fermentation; Industrial applications; Minireview; Spores; Spores, Bacterial; biotechnology; endospores; material sciences; Bacillus subtilis
• ISSN: 0099-2240; 1098-5336; 1098-5336
• DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01096-20

The bacterium Bacillus subtilis has long been an important subject for basic studies. However, this organism has also had industrial applications due to its easy genetic manipulation, favorable culturing characteristics for large‐scale fermentation, superior capacity for protein secretion, and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status. In addition, as the metabolically dormant form of B. subtilis , its spores have attracted great interest due to their extreme resistance to many environmental stresses, which makes spores a novel platform for a variety of applications. The bacterium Bacillus subtilis has long been an important subject for basic studies. However, this organism has also had industrial applications due to its easy genetic manipulation, favorable culturing characteristics for large‐scale fermentation, superior capacity for protein secretion, and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status. In addition, as the metabolically dormant form of B. subtilis , its spores have attracted great interest due to their extreme resistance to many environmental stresses, which makes spores a novel platform for a variety of applications. In this review, we summarize both conventional and emerging applications of B. subtilis spores, with a focus on how their unique characteristics have led to innovative applications in many areas of technology, including generation of stable and recyclable enzymes, synthetic biology, drug delivery, and material sciences. Ultimately, this review hopes to inspire the scientific community to leverage interdisciplinary approaches using spores to address global concerns about food shortages, environmental protection, and health care.