Bacillus subtilis are rod-shaped bacteria that are Gram-positive (Perez 2000). The cell wall is a rigid structure outside the cell. It is composed of peptidoglycan, which is a polymer of sugars and amino acids. The peptidoglycan that is found in bacteria is known as murein. Other constituents that extend from the murein are teichoic acids, lipoteichoic acids, and proteins. The cell wall forms the barrier between the environment and the bacterial cell. It is also responsible for maintaining the shape of the cell and withstanding the cell's high internal turgor pressure (Schaechter 2006).
B. subtilis is capable of butanediol fermentation. It does not hydrolyze phospholipids nor casein; it does hydrolyze triglycerides. It produces citrate permease and cytochrome c.
Bacillus subtilis is a model organism for studying endospore formation in bacteria. Endospores in Bacillus subtilis bacteria are mostly formed in the tips of protuberances extending downward from liquid surface pellicles (Schaechter 2006). Many strains produce spores with brown pigments. Depletion of carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorous causes the process of sporulation to begin, however, the process needs to start before the entire exhaustion of nutrients (Perez 2000). Otherwise, the spore formation cannot be completed due to the fact that the nutrients are too low for the energy-requiring sporulation process. This allows the cells to avoid being stuck in a vulnerable position.
The formation of the endospore occurs in several stages, denoted 0 through VI. Sporulation occurs in the following fashion. First the nucleoid lengthens, becoming an axial filament. Then, the cell forms a polar septum, one-fourth of the cell length from one end, and begins to divide. The smaller product of this division is called the forespore and the larger product is called the mother cell (Perez 2000). The mother cell is responsible for nourishing the newly formed spore. When the septum forms, 30% of the chromosome is already on the forespore side (Schaechter 2006). The remaining 70% of the chromosome enters the forespore in a fashion similar to DNA transfer during conjugation; it is pumped by a protein called SpoIIIE. The mother cell then engulfs the forespore by acting like a phagocyte. This causes the forespore to have two cytoplasmic membranes with a thick murein layer, namely the cortex, between them. A protein spore coat and an exosporium, a membranous layer, form outside of the forespore membranes. At this time, the forespore undergoes internal changes. Lastly, the forespore leaves the mother cell upon lysis of the mother cell (Perez 2000). A mature endospore has no metabolic activity; it is inert. The interior of the endospore, the core, is very dry and resistant to moisture (Schaechter 2006).