A comparative genomic view of clostridial sporulation and physiology

Clostridia are anaerobic, endospore-forming prokaryotes that include strains of importance to human and animal health and physiology, cellulose degradation, solvent production and bioremediation. Their differentiation and related developmental programmes are not well understood at the molecular level. Recent genome sequencing and transcriptional-profiling studies have offered a glimpse of their inner workings and indicate that a better understanding of the orchestration of the molecular events that underlie their unique physiology, capabilities and diversity will pay major dividends.