| Summary: | <i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i> (<i>Bt</i>) is a rod-shaped, Gram-positive soil bacterium that belongs to the phylum Firmicutes and the genus <i>Bacillus.</i> It is a spore-forming bacterium. During sporulation, it produces a wide range of crystalline proteins that are toxic to different orders of insects. Sporulation, structure assembly, and germination are essential stages in the cell cycle of <i>B. thuringiensis</i>. The majority of studies on these issues have focused on the model organism <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>, followed by <i>Bacillus cereus</i> and <i>Bacillus anthracis.</i> The machinery for sporulation and germination extrapolated to <i>B. thuringiensis</i>. However, in the light of recent findings concerning the role of the sporulation proteins (SPoVS), the germination receptors (Gr), and the cortical enzymes in <i>Bt</i>, the theory strengthened that conservation in sporulation, structure assembly, and germination programs drive the survival and success of <i>B. thuringiensis</i> in the environment and the insect host. In the present minireview, the latter pinpointed and reviewed.
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