Editing Bacillus (section)

==Structure==
=== Cell wall ===
[[File:Bacillus subtilis 2.jpg|''Bacillus subtilis'' ([[Gram stain]])|right|thumb]]
The cell wall of ''Bacillus'' is a structure on the outside of the cell that forms the second barrier between the bacterium and the environment, and at the same time maintains the rod shape and withstands the pressure generated by the cell's [[turgor]]. The cell wall is made of [[teichoic acid|teichoic]] and teichuronic acids. ''B. subtilis'' is the first bacterium for which the role of an [[actin]]-like [[cytoskeleton]] in cell shape determination and [[peptidoglycan]] synthesis was identified and for which the entire set of peptidoglycan-synthesizing enzymes was localized. The role of the cytoskeleton in shape generation and maintenance is important.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Shih YL, Rothfield L | title = The bacterial cytoskeleton | journal = Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews | volume = 70 | issue = 3 | pages = 729–754 | date = September 2006 | pmid = 16959967 | pmc = 1594594 | doi = 10.1128/MMBR.00017-06 }}</ref>

''Bacillus'' species are rod-shaped, endospore-forming aerobic or facultatively anaerobic, Gram-positive bacteria; in some species cultures may turn Gram-negative with age. The many species of the genus exhibit a wide range of physiologic abilities that allow them to live in every natural environment. Only one endospore is formed per cell. The spores are resistant to heat, cold, radiation, desiccation, and disinfectants.<ref name="Turnbull_1996"/>