Program

Monday June 22, 2015

• 08:15 - 08:30 – Welcome remarks, Jim Hoch, Marta Perego
• 08:30 - 09:15 - Keynote lecture: Andrew Camilli, Boston, USA
  • The Streptococcus pneumoniae cell wall controls pneumolysin release and contributes to virulence.

Session I Signal transduction I

CHAIR: Marta Perego

• 9:15 - 9:30 – Kevin Devine, Dublin, Ireland
  • The activities of the WalR-WalK and PhoP-PhoR two-component signal transduction systems are determined by signals that emanate from cell wall metabolism in Bacillus subtilis
• 9:30 - 9:45 – Hendrik Szurmant, La Jolla. USA
  • The YycF-YycG two-component system as a regulatory feedback loop for the expression of autolysin activity and the target of antimicrobial activities by human chemokines.
• 9:45 - 10:00 – Tarek Msadek, Paris, France
  • Peptide antibiotic resistance and intramembrane kinase signaling in Staphylococcus aureus.

• 10:10 - 10:25 – Ole Økstad, Oslo, NO
  • Cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) regulation in the Bacillus cereus group - mapping and analysis of putative c-di-GMP effectors
• 10:30 - 10:45 – Paola Randazzo, Jouy-en-Josas, FR
  • Transcriptome and proteome analysis of the pulcherrimin-overproducing yvmB Bacillus subtilis mutant

• 10:50 – 11:15 – COFFEE BREAK

Session II Responses to osmotic stress

CHAIR: Ole Økstad

• 11:20 - 11:35 – Sofia Arnaouteli, Heraklion, GR
  • Two putative polysaccharide deacetylases are required for osmotic stability and cell shape maintenance in Bacillus anthracis
• 11:40 - 11:55 – S. Löbach, Marburg, DE
  • Osmotic control of the yqiH-yqiI-yqiK operon by the two component DegS-DegU system of Bacillus subtilis
• 12:00 - 12:15 – Ulrike Mäder, Greifswald, DE
  • Regulation of opuB expression in Bacillus subtilis involves a SigB-dependent antisense RNA
• 12:20 - 12:35 – Katja Nagler, Cologne, DE
  • Towards the identification of mechanisms of high-salinity effects on Bacillus subtilis spore germination and outgrowth
• 12:40 – 14:00 LUNCH (+ BACIP MEETING)

Session III: Focus topic: Towards a minimal cell

CHAIR: Jörg Stülke

• 14:00 - 14:35 – Josef Altenbuchner, Stuttgart, DE
  • Towards a Bacillus subtilis minimal genome
• 14:40 - 14:55 – Christopher Sauer, Newcastle, UK
  • Influence of chromosomal location on the expression of genes in Bacillus subtilis
• 15:00 - 15:15 –Terrens N. V. Saaki, Amsterdam, NL
  • Constructing the Bacillus minimal divisome: what regulatory genes are really required for cell division?
• 15:20 - 15:35 – Etienne Dervyn, Jouy-en-Josas, FR
  • From knowledge on gene essentiality and transcription to cell factories
• 15:40 - 16:00 - COFFEE BREAK

Session IV: Stress & sporulation

CHAIR: Imrich Barak

• 16:00 - 16:15 – Declan Gray, Newcastle, UK
  • Starvation survival of Bacillus subtilis without sporulation
• 16:20 - 16:35 – Erwin M. Berendsen, Wageningen, NL
  • A mobile genetic element is responsible for substantially increased heat resistance of Bacillus subtilis spores
• 16:40 - 16:55 – Kürsad Turgay, Hannover, DE
  • Thermotolerance development in Bacillus subtilis
• 17:00 - 17:15– Marina Raguse, Cologne, DE
  • Plasma sterilization as an innovative tool to inactive Bacillus subtilis endospores
• 17:20 - 17:35 – Alexander Reder, Greifswald, DE
  • Issues of competence – the general stress sigma factor SigB silences competence development in Bacillus subtilis
• 17.40 - 17.55—Jan Maarten van Dijl, Groningen, NL
  • Ribosome remodeling in ethanol-stressed cells of Bacillus subtilis is mediated by a SigB-dependent antisense RNA
• 18.00 - 18.15—Sylvie Nessler, University Paris-Sud, FR
  • Bacillus subtilis serine/threonine protein kinase YabT

Wednesday April 15th 2015

Session V: Tools et al.

CHAIR: Stephane Aymerich

• 9:00 - 9:15 – Jara Radeck, Munich, DE
  • The Bacillus BioBrick Box 2.0: Generation and Evaluation of New Essential Genetic Building Blocks for Standardized Work with Bacillus subtilis
• 9:20 - 9:35 – Wilfried J. J. Meijer, Madrid, ES
  • Studying Bacillus subtilis plasmid conjugation and its use as a tool for modifying other relevant Gram positive bacteria
• 9:40 - 9:55 – Trupti Sharma, Bath, UK
  • Microbiologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation by extremophilic Bacillus species – A potential application as microbial agents for the development of self-healing concrete
• 10:00 - 10:35 - COFFEE BREAK

Session VI: Cell wall and cell biology

CHAIR: Uwe Völker

• 10:40 - 10:55 – Mike van Nieuwenhze, Bloomington/ Newcastle, USA/ UK
  • Novel chemical tools for probing the dynamics of peptidoglycan biosynthesis
• 11:00 - 11:15 – Henrik Strahl, Newcastle, UK
  • Polar localization of bacterial chemoreceptors by recruitment to highly curved septal membrane
• 11:20 - 11:35 – David Noone, Trinity College Dublin, IE
  • The WalK sensor kinase detects several signals during the growth cycle of Bacillus subtilis
• 11:40 - 11:55 – Karzan R. Sidiq, Newcastle, UK
  • A D-alanine transporter in Bacillus subtilis
• 12:00 - 12:15 – Peter Graumann, Marburg, DE
  • MreB forms curved sheets of filaments that nucleate on membranes in vitro
• 12:20 - 12:35 – Jeanine Rismondo, Wernigerode, DE
  • Discrete and overlapping roles of the five high molecular weight penicillin binding proteins in cell division, growth and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes
  • 12:40 - 13:40 – LUNCH

Session VII: Toxins & antibiotics/ Protection & Resistance

CHAIR: Sandrine Auger

• 13:40 - 13:55 – N. Jahn, Jena, DE
  • Against the mainstream: The type I toxin BsrG from Bacillus subtilis does not disrupt membrane potential although it is recruited to the cell membrane
• 14:00 - 14:15 –Yazen Yaseen, Lille, FR
  • Comparative study of fengycin promoters using green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion marker
• 14:20 - 14:35 –Luminita Ciolacu, KEMIN, BE
  • Lipopeptides of Bacillus subtilis PB6 - A comparison of two phenotypes
• 14:40 - 14:55—Elrike Frenzel, Groningen, NL
  • Single cell profiling of cereulide toxin producing Bacillus cereus
• 15:00 - 15:15 – Anne-Brit Kolstø, Oslo, NO
  • The secret lives of bacterial efflux transporter proteins
• 15:20 - 15:35 – Susanne Gebhard, Bath, UK
  • Need-based activation of antibiotic resistance by a flux-sensing mechanism
• 15:40 - 16:00 – COFFEE BREAK

Session VIII: Biofilm & Secretion

CHAIR: Kevin Devine

• 16:00 - 16:15 – Akos T Kovacs, University of Jena, DE
  • Rise to the surface: importance of motility and aerotaxis in pellicle biofilm development
• 16:20 - 16:35 – Cinzia Calvio, University of Pavia, IT
  • Four “y” genes in B. subtilis genome encode γ-PGA hydrolases
• 16:40 - 16:55 – Stavroula Balomenou, University of Crete, GR
  • Distinct functions of polysaccharide deacetylases in physiology, virulence and biofilm formation of Bacillus anthracis
• 17:00 - 17:15 – Rita Cruz, DSM Delft, NL
  • Impact of secretion and wall stress on protein secretion by Bacillus subtilis
• 17:20 - 17:35 – Alexandria Holland, Bath University, UK
  • Protein secretion in Bacillus thermoglucosidasius
• 17:40 - 17:55 – Sara Kesel, University of Munich, DE
  • Carbohydrate-coating reduces adhesion of biofilm forming Bacillus subtilis to gold surfaces

• 18:00 Drinks

• 19:00 Dinner