An aerobic, rod-shaped, non-motile, endospore-forming bacterium, strain V-9T, was found in the frozen volcanic ash, Kamchatka peninsula, Russia. Phylogenies based on 16S rRNA gene and genome sequences demonstrated that strain V-9T was affiliated with the family Paenibacillaceae and clustered outside the clade that includes the type species of this genus, Paenibacillus polymyxa, and closely related species. V-9T showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequences similarity to Paenibacillus chartarius CCUG 55240T (96.7

A gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and motile bacterium, designated Alg18-2.2T, was isolated from a bottom sediment of the highly alkaline-saline lake in Buryatia, Russia. The isolate is facultatively alkaliphilic, growing at pH 7.0–12.0 (optimum at 9.0–9.5), and salt-tolerant up to 7

A metagenomic study of the Kolyma lowland permafrost samples, 20–35 thousand years, performed using a Geneclean for Ancient DNA kit (Bio101, United States), revealed 8 phylotypes which belonged to the phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene clone library showed that most of the clones (48% and 29%) were represented by the genera Arthrobacter and Bradyrhizobium, respectively. For the first time microorganisms of the genera Williamsia, Bradyrhizobium, Filomicrobium and Hansschlegelia were observed in the ancient microbial communities of these ecosystems. Analysis of the isolates 16S rRNA genes revealed the presence of the microorganisms—the representatives of the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria phylogenetically related to known species and being obvious representatives of novel taxa. In situ electron-microscope analysis of total preparations of the studied samples showed the presence of intact bacterial cells of different morphotypes.

Disaccharide 1-phosphate polymers as well as teichoic acids of various structures have been found in the cell walls of the representatives of the Bacillus subtilis group, namely Bacillus subtilis subsp. s pizizenii VKM B-720 and VKM B-916, B. subtilis VKM B-517, and Bacillus vallismortis VKM B-2653 T . Disaccharide 1-phosphate polymers are composed of repeating units of the following structure: - P -4)-β-D-Glc p NAc-(1→6)-α-D-Gal p -(1-, the N-acetylglucosamine residues are partially acetylated at positions O3 and O6 (VKM B-720 and VKM B-916); - P -4)-β-D-Glc p -(1→6)-α-D-Glc p NAc-(1-, the glucopyranose residues are partially acetylated at positions O2 or O3 (VKM B-517); - P -6)-α-D-Glc p NH 3 + /α-D-Glc p NAc-(1→2)-α-D-Glc p -(1-, the N-acetylglucosamine residues are partially deacetylated (VKM B-2653 T ). The structures of the two last disaccharide 1-phosphate polymers have not been reported so far for Gram-positive bacteria. The teichoic acids in the studied strains are O -D-alanyl-1,5-poly(ribitol phosphates) substituted with β-D-glucopyranose (VKM B-517, VKM B-720, VKM B-916) or 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranose (VKM B-2653 T ). The structures of the phosphate-containing polymers have been studied by chemical methods and by NMR spectroscopy.

Cell walls of three type strains of the Bacillus subtilis group, Bacillus mojavensis VKM B-2650, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. amyloliquefaciens VKM B-2582, and Bacillus sonorensis VKM B-2652, are characterized by the individual set of teichoic acids. All strains contained 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphates), unsubstituted, acylated with D-alanine, and glycosylated. The latter differ in the nature of the monosaccharide residue. Teichoic acids of B. mojavensis VKM B-2650T and B. amyloliquefaciens subsp. amyloliquefaciens VKM B-2582T contained α-glucopyranose, while those of B. sonorensis VKM B-2652T contained β-glucopyranose and N-acetyl-α-D-glucosamine. Moreover, cell walls of B. mojavensis VKM B-2650T contained a teichoic acid of poly(glycosylglycerol phosphate) nature with the following structure of the repeating unit: -4)-α-D-α-D-GlcpNAc-(1 → 3)]-Glcp-(1 → 2)-sn-Gro-(3-P-. The type strains have been characterized according to the composition of cell wall sugars and polyols. Application of teichoic acids (set and structure) as chemotaxonomic characteristics is discussed for six type strains of the Bacillus subtilis group. Polymer structures were determined by chemical and NMR spectroscopic techniques.

The teichoic acids (TAs) of type strains, viz. Bacillus licheniformis VKM B-511 T and Bacillus pumilus VKM B-508 T , as well as phylogenetically close bacteria VKM B-424, VKM B-1554, and VKM B-711 previously assigned to Bacillus pumilus on the basis of morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties, were investigated. Three polymers were found in the cell wall of each of the 5 strains under study. Strains VKM B-508 T , VKM B-424, and VKM B-1554 contained polymers of the same core: unsubstituted 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) (TA I) and 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) with O -D-Ala and N-acetyl-α-D-glucosamine substituents (TA II and TA III’, respectively). The cell walls of two remaining strains contained TA I, TA II, and a poly(glycosylpolyol phosphate) with the following structure of repeating units: -6)-α-D-Glc p NAc(1→1)-snGro-(3- P -(TA III‴) in “Bacillus pumilus” VKM B-711 (100% 16S rRNA gene similarity with the type strain of Bacillus safensis ) and -6)-α-D-Gal p -(1→2)-snGro-(3- P -(TA III‴) in Bacillus licheniformis VKM B-511 T . The simultaneous presence of three different TAs in the cell walls was confirmed by the NMR spectroscopic DOSY methods. The structure of the polymers and localization of O -D-Ala residues were investigated by the chemical and NMR spectroscopic methods.

A comparative study of the structures of carbohydrate-containing cell wall polymers isolated from the strains of the Bacillus subtilis group was performed by means of chemical and NMR spectroscopic meth ods. Polymers of different structure were revealed, namely, 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphates) with β-glucopyranose in Bacillus subtilis strains VKM B-520, VKM B-723, and VKM B-763 (= VKM B-911); 1,5-poly(ribitol phosphate) with α-glucopyranose in B. subtilis strains VKM B-722 and VKM B-922 (the structure is reported for the first time); and simultaneously two polymers in B. subtilis VKM B-761, 1,5-poly(ribitol phosphate) with β-glucopyranose and the disaccharide 1-phosphate polymer with the following repeating unit: -6)-α-D-Galp-(1-P-4)-gB-D-GlcpNAc-(1-, in which the hydroxyls at C3 and C6 of glucosamine residues are partially O-acetylated (the structure is reported for the first time). Heterogeneity of the B. subtilis group is con firmed by variations in the structure and composition of the cell wall polymers. The cell surface polymers are useful for discrimination of closely related bacilli strains and are cell wall marker components that may be an indispensable element of the Bacillus subtilis group taxonomy along with the genomosystematic methods.

Teichoic acid and disaccharide-1-phosphate polymer were identified in the cell walls of Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis VKM B-501T. The teichoic acid represents 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) 80% substituted by α-D-glucopyranose residues at O-2 of glycerol. The linear repeating unit of disaccharide-1-phosphate polymer contains the residues of β-D-glucopyranose, N-acetyl-α-D-galactosamine, and phosphate and has the following structure: -6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→3)-α-D-GalpNAc-(1-P-. The structures of two anionic polymers were determined by chemical and NMR-spectroscopic methods. The 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral data on disaccharide-1-phosphate polymer are presented for the first time.

Cell walls of Bacillus subtilis VKM B-760 and VKM B-764 are characterized by heterogeneous composition of teichoic acids. Polymer I with structure -6)-β-D-Galp-(1→1)-sn-Gro-(3-P-, polymer II with structure -6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→1)-sn-Gro-(3-P-, and a small amount of unsubstituted 1,3-poly(glycerol phosphate) were detected in strain VKM B-760. Strain VKM B-764 contains an analogous set of teichoic acids, but a characteristic feature of polymer II is the presence of disubstituted glycerol residue with α-glucopyranose localization in the integral chain at C-1 hydroxyl and β-glucopyranose as a side branch at C-2 hydroxyl (polymer III): -6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→1)-[β-D-Glcp-(1→2)]-sn-Gro-(3-P-. The structures of polymer I in bacilli and polymer III in Gram-positive bacteria are described for the first time. Teichoic acids were studied by chemical methods and on the basis of combined analysis of one-dimensional 1H-, 13C-, and 31P-NMR spectra, homonuclear two-dimensional 1H/1H COSY, TOCSY, and ROESY, and heteronuclear two-dimensional 1H/13C gHSQC- and HMQC-TOCSY experiments. Simultaneous presence of several different structure teichoic acids in the bacillus cell walls as well as chemotaxonomical perspectives of the application of these polymers as species-specific markers for members of the Bacillus genus is discussed.

We studied metabolites synthesized by Bacillus subtilis strains, including the type strain of B. atrophaeus and phenotypically similar cultures. These metabolites were represented by polyene antibiotics with conjugated double bonds. Hexaenes from the strains under study inhibited the growth of phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium culmorum, F. sporotrichiella, F. oxysporum, Botrytis sorokiniana, Alternaria tenui, and Phytophthora infestans. The degree of growth inhibition depended on the test fungus.

Magnetotactic bacteria with intracellular mineral magnetosomes were first discovered in 1975. Recently, a new type of magnet-sensitive structures (MSS) in prokaryotic cells was described. This work presents new data relating to these structures. They have noncrystalline organization and consist of an organic "nucleus" and iron-enriched matrix. MSS are separated from the rest of the cellular cytoplasm by an envelope. MSS were found in the cells of many archaeal (archaebacterial) and bacterial organisms. Members of widely different physiological groups, including potentially hazardous bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), have the capacity to form MSS during growth in both synthetic and blood media. Two localization morphotypes were found: on the long cell axis and along the cell envelope. Both MSS-bearing cells and isolated MSS show attraction to a magnet (0.4-2.0 T). The possible role played by the MSS is discussed.