Meeting Abstract

P1-120   -   Investigating Crosstalk Between Gram Positive Soil Bacteria Miah, J*; McBrayer, D N; SUNY New Paltz; SUNY New Paltz miahj1@newpaltz.edu

Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis are closely related gram-positive bacteria that inhabit soil and are both grown commercially for the production of biomolecules such as enzymes and antibiotics. Our experimentation is exploring the potential interspecies interactions between Bacillus species through quorum sensing and/or the production and secretion of antibacterial toxins. We are evaluating the effect of Bacillus licheniformis’ potentially cytotoxic/cytostatic supernatant on the growth of Bacillus subtilis and other Bacillus species. As part of our scientific inquiry, we grew Bacillus licheniformis to saturation in liquid cultures of LB and harvested the supernatants and prepared lyophilized aliquots. Bacteria were then grown in the presence of different concentrations of reconstituted supernatant to evaluate its influence on growth. Understanding the interspecies interactions between these bacterial species can give additional insights into how these bacteria can interact when sharing the same environment and may help in determining the potential viability of co-culture usage in commercialized enzyme production.