Yudkin M
Sci Prog. 1993;77 ( Pt 1-2):113-30.
Bacillus subtilis is the best studied of the bacteria that make heat-resistant spores in response to starvation. The process of sporulation results in the formation of a cell type which is quite different in morphology from that of bacteria during normal growth. Sporulation requires the activation, in an ordered sequence, of many genes that are kept silent during vegetative growth. It also requires that these genes be activated differentially in two sister cells that are genetically identical. The sophisticated mechanisms responsible for both the temporal and the spatial regulation of gene expression are now understood in a fair amount of detail. They are likely to provide models which will make a valuable contribution to studies of development and differentiation in higher cells.
枯草芽孢杆菌是在应对饥饿时产生耐热孢子的细菌中研究得最为透彻的。芽孢形成过程会导致一种细胞类型的形成，其形态与正常生长期间的细菌形态截然不同。芽孢形成需要按有序顺序激活许多在营养生长期间保持沉默的基因。它还要求这些基因在基因相同的两个姐妹细胞中以不同方式被激活。现在已经相当详细地了解了负责基因表达的时间和空间调节的复杂机制。它们很可能会提供一些模型，这些模型将对高等细胞的发育和分化研究做出有价值的贡献。
