Table 1. Strains used in this work.

Strain	Genotype	Reference
E. coli
DH5α	fhuA2 Δ(argF-lacZ)U169 phoA glnV44 Φ80 Δ(lacZ)M15 gyrA96 recA1 relA1 endA1 thi-1 hsdR17	Invitrogen
B. subtilis
NCIB3610	wild type	Bacillus Genetic Stock Center
PY79	swrA srf	P. Youngman
1A792 (L16648)	168 lytABC::neo lytD::tet lytE::cat lytF::spc	from BGSC, n° 1A792 (Margot, 1999)
Bal 376	JH646 Δspo0K358::erm	[68]
Bal 941	JH646 ΔphrC::tet	[69]
BD1243	168 comA::Tn917-erm	[55]
BD1245	168 ΔcomEA::Tn917-erm	[52]
PG677	168 ΔcomK::kan	[51]
PG679	168 ΔcomGA::erm	from P.Graumann laboratory
EG168	PY79 skfABCDEF::tet	[41]
EG240	3610 spo0A::erm	this work
EG245	3610 srfAA::erm	[26]
EG385	3610 amyE::Pfeu-lacZ-spc	laboratory collection
EG524	PY79 sdpABC::erm	[41]
RL891	PY79 spo0A::erm	[26]
GP229	3610 degU::mini-Tn10	this work
GP230	3610 comP:: mini-Tn10	this work
GP231	3610 topA:: mini-Tn10	this work
GP232	3610 mfd:: mini-Tn10	this work
GP233	3610 oppA:: mini-Tn10	this work
GP236	3610 ΔphrC::tet	this work
GP237	3610 ΔcomK::kan	this work
GP239	3610 ΔcomGA::erm	this work
GP240	3610 comA::Tn917-erm	this work
GP241	3610 ΔcomEA::Tn917-erm	this work
GP304	3610 nos::erm	[70]
GP305	3610 spontaneous mutant	this work (SPR-1)
GP306	3610 spontaneous mutant	this work (SPR-2)
GP307	3610 spontaneous mutant	this work (SPR-3)
GP308	3610 Δspo0K358::erm	this work
GP309	3610 comX-comP:: mini-Tn10	this work
GP310	3610 oppF:: mini-Tn10	this work
GP311	3610 yqhG:: mini-Tn10	this work
GP313	3610 lytABC::neo	this work
GP314	3610 lytE::cat	this work
GP315	3610 skfABCDEF::tet sdpABC::erm	this work
GP316	3610 ΔxkdG::erm	this work
GP319	3610 spontaneous mutant	this work (SPR-4)