TABLE 1.

B. subtilis strains used in this study

Strain	Relevant genotype and phenotype	Reference
PS832	Trp+ revertant of strain 168 (wild type)	40
PS283a	ΔsspA, SASP-α−, Cmr	45
PS338a	ΔsspB, SASP-β−, Cmr	45
PS483a	ΔsspE, SASP-γ−, Cmr	38
PS356b	ΔsspA ΔsspB, α−β−	22
PS482a	ΔsspA ΔsspB ΔsspE, α−β−γ−, Cmr	46
PS1899a	ΔdacB::Cmr	22
PS2211a,b	ΔdacB::Cmr, α−β−	22
FB122c,d	ΔsleB::Spcr ΔspoVF::Tetr, DPA−	39
PS3664a,b,c,d	ΔsleB::Spcr ΔspoVF::Tetr, DPA−, α−β−	47
PS2496a	ΔmrgA::Cmr	21
PS2507a,b	ΔmrgA::Cmr, α−β−	21
PS2495a	ΔsodA::Cmr	21
PS2506a,b	ΔsodA::Cmr, α−β−	21
PS2558a	ΔkatX::Cmr	21
PS2559a,b	ΔkatX::Cmr, α−β−	21
PERM454d,e	ΔexoA::Tetr Δnfo::Neor	24
PERM450a,b,d,e	ΔexoA::Tetr Δnfo::Neor, α−β−	24
PS3722f	ΔykoVU::Ermr	25
PS3751a,b,f	ΔykoVU::Ermr, α−β−	25

^aCm^r, resistant to chloramphenicol (5 μg/ml).

^bα⁻β⁻, spores lack SASP-α and -β and thus ∼80% of the spore's pool of α/β-type SASP (35).

^cSpc^r, resistant to spectinomycin (100 μg/ml).

^dTet^r, resistant to tetracycline (10 μg/ml).

^eNeo^r, resistant to neomycin (10 μg/ml).

^fErm^r, resistant to erythromycin (1 μg/ml).