Conservation and Evolution of the Sporulation Gene Set in Diverse Members of the <i>Firmicutes</i>

Many members of the phylum Firmicutes ( Bacillota ) are capable of producing endospores, which enhance the survival of important Gram-positive pathogens that cause such diseases as anthrax, botulism, colitis, gas gangrene, and tetanus. We show that the core set of sporulation genes, defined previously through genome comparisons of several bacilli and clostridia, is conserved in a wide variety of sporeformers from several distinct lineages of Firmicutes .