ill us ▁species ▁pre em inent ▁hosts ▁for ▁heter olog ous ▁protein ▁production . ▁Bac ill us ▁stra ins ▁have ▁also ▁been ▁developed ▁and ▁engine ered ▁as ▁industrial ▁produ cers ▁of ▁nucle ot ides , ▁the ▁vit amin ▁rib of la vin , ▁the ▁flav or ▁agent ▁rib ose , ▁and ▁the ▁supp lement ▁poly - gamma - gl ut am ic ▁acid . ▁With ▁the ▁recent ▁character ization ▁of ▁the ▁gen ome ▁of ▁B . ▁sub til is ▁ 1 6 8 ▁and ▁of ▁some ▁related ▁stra ins , ▁Bac ill us ▁species ▁are ▁po ised ▁to ▁become ▁the ▁preferred ▁hosts ▁for ▁the ▁production ▁of ▁many ▁new ▁and ▁improved ▁products ▁as ▁we ▁move ▁through ▁the ▁genom ic ▁and ▁prote omic ▁era . ▁▁ ▁Use ▁as ▁model ▁organ ism B ac ill us ▁sub til is ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁best ▁understood ▁pro k ary otes , ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁mole cular ▁and ▁cell ular ▁bi ology . ▁Its ▁super b ▁gen etic ▁amen ability ▁and ▁relatively ▁large ▁size ▁have ▁provided ▁the ▁powerful ▁tools ▁required ▁to ▁investigate ▁a ▁b acter ium ▁from ▁all ▁possible ▁aspects . ▁Rec ent ▁improvements ▁in ▁flu ores cent ▁micro sc opy ▁techniques ▁have ▁provided ▁novel ▁insight ▁into ▁the ▁dynamic ▁structure ▁of ▁a ▁single ▁cell ▁organ ism . ▁Research ▁on ▁B . ▁sub til is ▁has ▁been ▁at ▁the ▁fore front ▁of ▁b acter ial ▁mole cular ▁bi ology ▁and ▁c yt ology , ▁and ▁the ▁organ ism ▁is ▁a ▁model ▁for ▁different iation , ▁gene / prote in