Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1996 Aug;178(15):4500–4507. doi: 10.1128/jb.178.15.4500-4507.1996

A compartmentalized regulator of developmental gene expression in Bacillus subtilis.

I Bagyan 1, J Hobot 1, S Cutting 1
PMCID: PMC178216  PMID: 8755877

Abstract

We have identified a new Bacillus subtilis gene, spoVT, whose gene product is homologous to the transcriptional regulator AbrB and serves as a regulator of E sigmaG-controlled gene expression. SpoVT acts both positively and negatively in controlling sigmaG-dependent gene expression, providing an additional level of refinement to forespore gene regulation and feedback control of spoIIIG expression.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (487.7 KB).

Selected References

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

  1. Ayora S., Rojo F., Ogasawara N., Nakai S., Alonso J. C. The Mfd protein of Bacillus subtilis 168 is involved in both transcription-coupled DNA repair and DNA recombination. J Mol Biol. 1996 Feb 23;256(2):301–318. doi: 10.1006/jmbi.1996.0087. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beall B., Driks A., Losick R., Moran C. P., Jr Cloning and characterization of a gene required for assembly of the Bacillus subtilis spore coat. J Bacteriol. 1993 Mar;175(6):1705–1716. doi: 10.1128/jb.175.6.1705-1716.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Corfe B. M., Moir A., Popham D., Setlow P. Analysis of the expression and regulation of the gerB spore germination operon of Bacillus subtilis 168. Microbiology. 1994 Nov;140(Pt 11):3079–3083. doi: 10.1099/13500872-140-11-3079. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cutting S., Driks A., Schmidt R., Kunkel B., Losick R. Forespore-specific transcription of a gene in the signal transduction pathway that governs Pro-sigma K processing in Bacillus subtilis. Genes Dev. 1991 Mar;5(3):456–466. doi: 10.1101/gad.5.3.456. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. 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]
  6. Cutting S., Roels S., Losick R. Sporulation operon spoIVF and the characterization of mutations that uncouple mother-cell from forespore gene expression in Bacillus subtilis. J Mol Biol. 1991 Oct 20;221(4):1237–1256. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(91)90931-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. 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]
  8. Feavers I. M., Foulkes J., Setlow B., Sun D., Nicholson W., Setlow P., Moir A. The regulation of transcription of the gerA spore germination operon of Bacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol. 1990 Feb;4(2):275–282. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb00594.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Frandsen N., Stragier P. Identification and characterization of the Bacillus subtilis spoIIP locus. J Bacteriol. 1995 Feb;177(3):716–722. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.3.716-722.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Karmazyn-Campelli C., Bonamy C., Savelli B., Stragier P. Tandem genes encoding sigma-factors for consecutive steps of development in Bacillus subtilis. Genes Dev. 1989 Feb;3(2):150–157. doi: 10.1101/gad.3.2.150. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Karow M. L., Glaser P., Piggot P. J. Identification of a gene, spoIIR, that links the activation of sigma E to the transcriptional activity of sigma F during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Mar 14;92(6):2012–2016. doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.6.2012. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kemp E. H., Sammons R. L., Moir A., Sun D., Setlow P. Analysis of transcriptional control of the gerD spore germination gene of Bacillus subtilis 168. J Bacteriol. 1991 Aug;173(15):4646–4652. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.15.4646-4652.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kenney T. J., Moran C. P., Jr Organization and regulation of an operon that encodes a sporulation-essential sigma factor in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1987 Jul;169(7):3329–3339. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.7.3329-3339.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kobayashi K., Shoji K., Shimizu T., Nakano K., Sato T., Kobayashi Y. Analysis of a suppressor mutation ssb (kinC) of sur0B20 (spo0A) mutation in Bacillus subtilis reveals that kinC encodes a histidine protein kinase. J Bacteriol. 1995 Jan;177(1):176–182. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.1.176-182.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kunkel B., Kroos L., Poth H., Youngman P., Losick R. Temporal and spatial control of the mother-cell regulatory gene spoIIID of Bacillus subtilis. Genes Dev. 1989 Nov;3(11):1735–1744. doi: 10.1101/gad.3.11.1735. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. LeDeaux J. R., Grossman A. D. Isolation and characterization of kinC, a gene that encodes a sensor kinase homologous to the sporulation sensor kinases KinA and KinB in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1995 Jan;177(1):166–175. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.1.166-175.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. 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]
  18. Londoño-Vallejo J. A., Stragier P. Cell-cell signaling pathway activating a developmental transcription factor in Bacillus subtilis. Genes Dev. 1995 Feb 15;9(4):503–508. doi: 10.1101/gad.9.4.503. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. 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]
  20. Margolis P., Driks A., Losick R. Establishment of cell type by compartmentalized activation of a transcription factor. Science. 1991 Oct 25;254(5031):562–565. doi: 10.1126/science.1948031. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Mason J. M., Hackett R. H., Setlow P. Regulation of expression of genes coding for small, acid-soluble proteins of Bacillus subtilis spores: studies using lacZ gene fusions. J Bacteriol. 1988 Jan;170(1):239–244. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.1.239-244.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Moldover B., Cao L., Piggot P. J. Identification of a control region for expression of the forespore-specific Bacillus subtilis locus spoVA. Microbiology. 1994 Sep;140(Pt 9):2299–2304. doi: 10.1099/13500872-140-9-2299. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Ogasawara N., Nakai S., Yoshikawa H. Systematic sequencing of the 180 kilobase region of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome containing the replication origin. DNA Res. 1994;1(1):1–14. doi: 10.1093/dnares/1.1.1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Partridge S. R., Errington J. The importance of morphological events and intercellular interactions in the regulation of prespore-specific gene expression during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol. 1993 May;8(5):945–955. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01639.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Perego M., Spiegelman G. B., Hoch J. A. Structure of the gene for the transition state regulator, abrB: regulator synthesis is controlled by the spo0A sporulation gene in Bacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol. 1988 Nov;2(6):689–699. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1988.tb00079.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rather P. N., Moran C. P., Jr Compartment-specific transcription in Bacillus subtilis: identification of the promoter for gdh. J Bacteriol. 1988 Nov;170(11):5086–5092. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.11.5086-5092.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. 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]
  28. Schuch R., Piggot P. J. The dacF-spoIIA operon of Bacillus subtilis, encoding sigma F, is autoregulated. J Bacteriol. 1994 Jul;176(13):4104–4110. doi: 10.1128/jb.176.13.4104-4110.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Setlow P. I will survive: protecting and repairing spore DNA. J Bacteriol. 1992 May;174(9):2737–2741. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.9.2737-2741.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Shazand K., Frandsen N., Stragier P. Cell-type specificity during development in Bacillus subtilis: the molecular and morphological requirements for sigma E activation. EMBO J. 1995 Apr 3;14(7):1439–1445. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1995.tb07130.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Sterlini J. M., Mandelstam J. Commitment to sporulation in Bacillus subtilis and its relationship to development of actinomycin resistance. Biochem J. 1969 Jun;113(1):29–37. doi: 10.1042/bj1130029. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Stragier P., Bonamy C., Karmazyn-Campelli C. Processing of a sporulation sigma factor in Bacillus subtilis: how morphological structure could control gene expression. Cell. 1988 Mar 11;52(5):697–704. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90407-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Stragier P., Kunkel B., Kroos L., Losick R. Chromosomal rearrangement generating a composite gene for a developmental transcription factor. Science. 1989 Jan 27;243(4890):507–512. doi: 10.1126/science.2536191. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Stragier P., Losick R. Cascades of sigma factors revisited. Mol Microbiol. 1990 Nov;4(11):1801–1806. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb02028.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Strauch M. A., Perego M., Burbulys D., Hoch J. A. The transition state transcription regulator AbrB of Bacillus subtilis is autoregulated during vegetative growth. Mol Microbiol. 1989 Sep;3(9):1203–1209. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1989.tb00270.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Strauch M. A., Spiegelman G. B., Perego M., Johnson W. C., Burbulys D., Hoch J. A. The transition state transcription regulator abrB of Bacillus subtilis is a DNA binding protein. EMBO J. 1989 May;8(5):1615–1621. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb03546.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Sun D. X., Cabrera-Martinez R. M., Setlow P. Control of transcription of the Bacillus subtilis spoIIIG gene, which codes for the forespore-specific transcription factor sigma G. J Bacteriol. 1991 May;173(9):2977–2984. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.9.2977-2984.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Sun D. X., Stragier P., Setlow P. Identification of a new sigma-factor involved in compartmentalized gene expression during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis. Genes Dev. 1989 Feb;3(2):141–149. doi: 10.1101/gad.3.2.141. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Sun D., Fajardo-Cavazos P., Sussman M. D., Tovar-Rojo F., Cabrera-Martinez R. M., Setlow P. Effect of chromosome location of Bacillus subtilis forespore genes on their spo gene dependence and transcription by E sigma F: identification of features of good E sigma F-dependent promoters. J Bacteriol. 1991 Dec;173(24):7867–7874. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.24.7867-7874.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Sussman M. D., Setlow P. Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and regulation of the Bacillus subtilis gpr gene, which codes for the protease that initiates degradation of small, acid-soluble proteins during spore germination. J Bacteriol. 1991 Jan;173(1):291–300. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.1.291-300.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Wu J. J., Schuch R., Piggot P. J. Characterization of a Bacillus subtilis sporulation operon that includes genes for an RNA polymerase sigma factor and for a putative DD-carboxypeptidase. J Bacteriol. 1992 Aug;174(15):4885–4892. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.15.4885-4892.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Youngman P., Perkins J. B., Losick R. Construction of a cloning site near one end of Tn917 into which foreign DNA may be inserted without affecting transposition in Bacillus subtilis or expression of the transposon-borne erm gene. Plasmid. 1984 Jul;12(1):1–9. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(84)90061-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. 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]
  44. 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