Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1996 Aug;178(15):4375–4380. doi: 10.1128/jb.178.15.4375-4380.1996

Bacillus subtilis spore coat assembly requires cotH gene expression.

G Naclerio 1, L Baccigalupi 1, R Zilhao 1, M De Felice 1, E Ricca 1
PMCID: PMC178202  PMID: 8755863

Abstract

Endospores of Bacillus subtilis are encased in a protein shell, known as the spore coat, composed of a lamella-like inner layer and an electron-dense outer layer. We report the identification and characterization of a gene, herein called cotH, located at 300 degrees on the B. subtilis genetic map between two divergent cot genes, cotB and cotG. The cotH open reading frame extended for 1,086 bp and corresponded to a polypeptide of 42.8 kDa. Spores of a cotH null mutant were normally heat, lysozyme, and chloroform resistant but were impaired in germination. The mutant spores were also pleiotropically deficient in several coat proteins, including the products of the previously cloned cotB, -C, and -G genes. On the basis of the analysis of a cotE cotH double mutant, we infer that CotH is probably localized in the inner coat and is involved in the assembly of several proteins in the outer layer of the coat.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (410.0 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abe A., Koide H., Kohno T., Watabe K. A Bacillus subtilis spore coat polypeptide gene, cotS. Microbiology. 1995 Jun;141(Pt 6):1433–1442. doi: 10.1099/13500872-141-6-1433. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Aronson A. I., Fitz-James P. Structure and morphogenesis of the bacterial spore coat. Bacteriol Rev. 1976 Jun;40(2):360–402. doi: 10.1128/br.40.2.360-402.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Aronson A. I., Song H. Y., Bourne N. Gene structure and precursor processing of a novel Bacillus subtilis spore coat protein. Mol Microbiol. 1989 Mar;3(3):437–444. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1989.tb00189.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cutting S., Panzer S., Losick R. Regulatory studies on the promoter for a gene governing synthesis and assembly of the spore coat in Bacillus subtilis. J Mol Biol. 1989 May 20;207(2):393–404. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(89)90262-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cutting S., Zheng L. B., Losick R. Gene encoding two alkali-soluble components of the spore coat from Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1991 May;173(9):2915–2919. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.9.2915-2919.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Donovan W., Zheng L. B., Sandman K., Losick R. Genes encoding spore coat polypeptides from Bacillus subtilis. J Mol Biol. 1987 Jul 5;196(1):1–10. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(87)90506-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Driks A., Roels S., Beall B., Moran C. P., Jr, Losick R. Subcellular localization of proteins involved in the assembly of the spore coat of Bacillus subtilis. Genes Dev. 1994 Jan;8(2):234–244. doi: 10.1101/gad.8.2.234. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Errington J. Bacillus subtilis sporulation: regulation of gene expression and control of morphogenesis. Microbiol Rev. 1993 Mar;57(1):1–33. doi: 10.1128/mr.57.1.1-33.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Henriques A. O., Beall B. W., Roland K., Moran C. P., Jr Characterization of cotJ, a sigma E-controlled operon affecting the polypeptide composition of the coat of Bacillus subtilis spores. J Bacteriol. 1995 Jun;177(12):3394–3406. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.12.3394-3406.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Levin P. A., Fan N., Ricca E., Driks A., Losick R., Cutting S. An unusually small gene required for sporulation by Bacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol. 1993 Aug;9(4):761–771. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01736.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Losick R., Stragier P. Crisscross regulation of cell-type-specific gene expression during development in B. subtilis. Nature. 1992 Feb 13;355(6361):601–604. doi: 10.1038/355601a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Losick R., Youngman P., Piggot P. J. Genetics of endospore formation in Bacillus subtilis. Annu Rev Genet. 1986;20:625–669. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.20.120186.003205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ricca E., Cutting S., Losick R. Characterization of bofA, a gene involved in intercompartmental regulation of pro-sigma K processing during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1992 May;174(10):3177–3184. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.10.3177-3184.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Roels S., Driks A., Losick R. Characterization of spoIVA, a sporulation gene involved in coat morphogenesis in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1992 Jan;174(2):575–585. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.2.575-585.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Sacco M., Ricca E., Losick R., Cutting S. An additional GerE-controlled gene encoding an abundant spore coat protein from Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1995 Jan;177(2):372–377. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.2.372-377.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sanger F., Nicklen S., Coulson A. R. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5463–5467. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stevens C. M., Daniel R., Illing N., Errington J. Characterization of a sporulation gene, spoIVA, involved in spore coat morphogenesis in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1992 Jan;174(2):586–594. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.2.586-594.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Zhang J., Fitz-James P. C., Aronson A. I. Cloning and characterization of a cluster of genes encoding polypeptides present in the insoluble fraction of the spore coat of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1993 Jun;175(12):3757–3766. doi: 10.1128/jb.175.12.3757-3766.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Zhang J., Ichikawa H., Halberg R., Kroos L., Aronson A. I. Regulation of the transcription of a cluster of Bacillus subtilis spore coat genes. J Mol Biol. 1994 Jul 29;240(5):405–415. doi: 10.1006/jmbi.1994.1456. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Zheng L. B., Donovan W. P., Fitz-James P. C., Losick R. Gene encoding a morphogenic protein required in the assembly of the outer coat of the Bacillus subtilis endospore. Genes Dev. 1988 Aug;2(8):1047–1054. doi: 10.1101/gad.2.8.1047. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Zheng L. B., Losick R. Cascade regulation of spore coat gene expression in Bacillus subtilis. J Mol Biol. 1990 Apr 20;212(4):645–660. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(90)90227-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Zheng L., Halberg R., Roels S., Ichikawa H., Kroos L., Losick R. Sporulation regulatory protein GerE from Bacillus subtilis binds to and can activate or repress transcription from promoters for mother-cell-specific genes. J Mol Biol. 1992 Aug 20;226(4):1037–1050. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(92)91051-p. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES