Mining bacilli for sporulene diversity.

Sporulenes are newly discovered unique group of pentacyclin triterpenoids associatedwith endospore producing bacilli.These are of three types depending on the position of double bond in 4th ring.All three sporulenes show identical m/z 474 and the molecular formula C35H54.sporulenes aresynthesized from isopentyl unit which are formed in a biosynthetic route leading to isopentyldiphosphate.Except for a discovery of sporulene from the Bacillus subtilis spores, the work was not further extendedraising major questions as to what diversity of sporulenes exist among bacilli? And what rolethey have in bacilli? The work planed addresses these two questions by mining for sporulenesfrom different bacilli isolates and study in detail the role of sporulenes in Bacillus tequilensis.