Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1994 Dec;176(23):7155–7160. doi: 10.1128/jb.176.23.7155-7160.1994

Effects on Bacillus subtilis of a conditional lethal mutation in the essential GTP-binding protein Obg.

J Kok 1, K A Trach 1, J A Hoch 1
PMCID: PMC197102  PMID: 7961486

Abstract

The obg gene is part of the spo0B sporulation operon and codes for a GTP-binding protein which is essential for growth. A temperature-sensitive mutant in the obg gene was isolated and found to be the result of two closely linked missense mutations in the amino domain of Obg. Temperature shift experiments revealed that the mutant was able to continue cell division for 2 to 3 generations at the nonpermissive temperature. Such experiments carried out during sporulation showed that Obg was necessary for the transition from vegetative growth to stage 0 or stage II of sporulation, but sporulation subsequent to these stages was unaffected at the nonpermissive temperature. Spores of the temperature-sensitive mutant germinated normally at the nonpermissive temperature but failed to outgrow. The primary consequence of the obg mutation may be an alteration in initiation of chromosome replication.

Full text

PDF
7155

Selected References

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

  1. Anagnostopoulos C., Spizizen J. REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSFORMATION IN BACILLUS SUBTILIS. J Bacteriol. 1961 May;81(5):741–746. doi: 10.1128/jb.81.5.741-746.1961. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Antoniewski C., Savelli B., Stragier P. The spoIIJ gene, which regulates early developmental steps in Bacillus subtilis, belongs to a class of environmentally responsive genes. J Bacteriol. 1990 Jan;172(1):86–93. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.1.86-93.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bourne H. R., Sanders D. A., McCormick F. The GTPase superfamily: conserved structure and molecular mechanism. Nature. 1991 Jan 10;349(6305):117–127. doi: 10.1038/349117a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bouvier J., Stragier P., Bonamy C., Szulmajster J. Nucleotide sequence of the spo0B gene of Bacillus subtilis and regulation of its expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Nov;81(22):7012–7016. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.22.7012. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Burbulys D., Trach K. A., Hoch J. A. Initiation of sporulation in B. subtilis is controlled by a multicomponent phosphorelay. Cell. 1991 Feb 8;64(3):545–552. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90238-t. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ferrari F. A., Nguyen A., Lang D., Hoch J. A. Construction and properties of an integrable plasmid for Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1983 Jun;154(3):1513–1515. doi: 10.1128/jb.154.3.1513-1515.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ferrari F. A., Trach K., Hoch J. A. Sequence analysis of the spo0B locus reveals a polycistronic transcription unit. J Bacteriol. 1985 Feb;161(2):556–562. doi: 10.1128/jb.161.2.556-562.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ferrari F. A., Trach K., LeCoq D., Spence J., Ferrari E., Hoch J. A. Characterization of the spo0A locus and its deduced product. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 May;82(9):2647–2651. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.9.2647. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gollop N., March P. E. A GTP-binding protein (Era) has an essential role in growth rate and cell cycle control in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1991 Apr;173(7):2265–2270. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.7.2265-2270.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Inada T., Kawakami K., Chen S. M., Takiff H. E., Court D. L., Nakamura Y. Temperature-sensitive lethal mutant of era, a G protein in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1989 Sep;171(9):5017–5024. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.9.5017-5024.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lerner C. G., Inouye M. Pleiotropic changes resulting from depletion of Era, an essential GTP-binding protein in Escherichia coli. Mol Microbiol. 1991 Apr;5(4):951–957. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb00770.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lerner C. G., Sood P., Ahnn J., Inouye M. Cold-sensitive growth and decreased GTP-hydrolytic activity from substitution of Pro17 for Val in Era, an essential Escherichia coli GTPase. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1992 Aug 15;74(2-3):137–142. doi: 10.1016/0378-1097(92)90419-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. March P. E. Membrane-associated GTPases in bacteria. Mol Microbiol. 1992 May;6(10):1253–1257. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1992.tb00845.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. OISHI M., YOSHIKAWA H., SUEOKA N. SYNCHRONOUS AND DICHOTOMOUS REPLICATIONS OF THE BACILLUS SUBTILIS CHROMOSOME DURING SPORE GERMINATION. Nature. 1964 Dec 12;204:1069–1073. doi: 10.1038/2041069a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ochi K., Kandala J., Freese E. Evidence that Bacillus subtilis sporulation induced by the stringent response is caused by the decrease in GTP or GDP. J Bacteriol. 1982 Aug;151(2):1062–1065. doi: 10.1128/jb.151.2.1062-1065.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Perego M., Cole S. P., Burbulys D., Trach K., Hoch J. A. Characterization of the gene for a protein kinase which phosphorylates the sporulation-regulatory proteins Spo0A and Spo0F of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1989 Nov;171(11):6187–6196. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.11.6187-6196.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. 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]
  18. Satola S. W., Baldus J. M., Moran C. P., Jr Binding of Spo0A stimulates spoIIG promoter activity in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1992 Mar;174(5):1448–1453. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.5.1448-1453.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schaeffer P., Millet J., Aubert J. P. Catabolic repression of bacterial sporulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1965 Sep;54(3):704–711. doi: 10.1073/pnas.54.3.704. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Spizizen J. TRANSFORMATION OF BIOCHEMICALLY DEFICIENT STRAINS OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS BY DEOXYRIBONUCLEATE. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1958 Oct 15;44(10):1072–1078. doi: 10.1073/pnas.44.10.1072. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. 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]
  22. Stock J. B., Ninfa A. J., Stock A. M. Protein phosphorylation and regulation of adaptive responses in bacteria. Microbiol Rev. 1989 Dec;53(4):450–490. doi: 10.1128/mr.53.4.450-490.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Strauch M., Webb V., Spiegelman G., Hoch J. A. The SpoOA protein of Bacillus subtilis is a repressor of the abrB gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Mar;87(5):1801–1805. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.5.1801. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Trach K., Burbulys D., Strauch M., Wu J. J., Dhillon N., Jonas R., Hanstein C., Kallio P., Perego M., Bird T. Control of the initiation of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis by a phosphorelay. Res Microbiol. 1991 Sep-Oct;142(7-8):815–823. doi: 10.1016/0923-2508(91)90060-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Trach K., Hoch J. A. The Bacillus subtilis spo0B stage 0 sporulation operon encodes an essential GTP-binding protein. J Bacteriol. 1989 Mar;171(3):1362–1371. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.3.1362-1371.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Varma A., Freese E. B., Freese E. Partial deprivation of GTP initiates meiosis and sporulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Gen Genet. 1985;201(1):1–6. doi: 10.1007/BF00397977. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES