Explain why cellular cannibalism is beneficial for sporulating Bacillus subtilis

What will be an ideal response?


Answer: A cell that undergoes sporulation in response to unfavorable environmental conditions still requires nutrient sources during the process, so some cells are lysed to free up essential, scarce nutrients. After a five sensor kinase phosphorylates Spo0A that activates sporulation and also induces the release of toxic proteins, lysis of other non-activated Spo0A cells occurs. So, any cells that have Spo0A activated are not lysed, can pick up these available nutrients, and sporulate.

Biology & Microbiology

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In the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) test, the factor that should limit biological activity is ________.

A. phosphorus B. carbon C. nitrogen D. oxygen

Biology & Microbiology

The scissors in the figure represent

a. restriction enzymes. b. reverse transcriptases. c. DNA polymerases. d. RNA polymerases. e. DNA ligases.

Biology & Microbiology

The structures in the outermost ring of floral structures that cover and protect the bud are

A. receptacles. B. sepals. C. stamens. D. carpels. E. petals.

Biology & Microbiology

Which of the following choices best describes the role of the lysosome?

(a) transport of material to the Golgi (b) clean-up, recycling, and disposal of macromolecules (c) sorting of transport vesicles (d) the storage of excess macromolecules

Biology & Microbiology