Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1988 Mar;170(3):1162–1167. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.3.1162-1167.1988

Transcriptional regulation and structure of the Bacillus subtilis sporulation locus spoIIIC.

J Errington 1, S Rong 1, M S Rosenkrantz 1, A L Sonenshein 1
PMCID: PMC210887  PMID: 3125151

Abstract

The spoIIIC locus of Bacillus subtilis has been cloned from the lambda library of Ferrari et al. (E. Ferrari, D. J. HEnner, and J. A. Hoch, J. Bacteriol. 146:430-432, 1981) by using as an assay transformation of the mutant allele spoIIIC94 to the wild type. Regulation of the spoIIIC locus was studied by hybridization of cloned spoIIIC DNA to RNA pulse-labeled at various times during growth and sporulation. The relative rate of transcription of the spoIIIC locus was highest 3 h after the end of growth. The DNA sequence of the spoIIIC transcription unit indicated the coding capacity for a small protein (138 amino acids) having significant similarity with one domain of RNA polymerase sigma factors. Interruption of this coding sequence by an insertion mutation caused cells to become Spo-.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

1163Image
on p.1163

Selected References

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

  1. Anaguchi H., Fukui S., Shimotsu H., Kawamura F., Saito H., Kobayashi Y. Cloning of sporulation gene spoIIC in Bacillus subtilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1984 Apr;130(4):757–760. doi: 10.1099/00221287-130-4-757. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Biggin M. D., Gibson T. J., Hong G. F. Buffer gradient gels and 35S label as an aid to rapid DNA sequence determination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Jul;80(13):3963–3965. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.13.3963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bohannon D. E., Rosenkrantz M. S., Sonenshein A. L. Regulation of Bacillus subtilis glutamate synthase genes by the nitrogen source. J Bacteriol. 1985 Sep;163(3):957–964. doi: 10.1128/jb.163.3.957-964.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bolivar F. Construction and characterization of new cloning vehicles. III. Derivatives of plasmid pBR322 carrying unique Eco RI sites for selection of Eco RI generated recombinant DNA molecules. Gene. 1978 Oct;4(2):121–136. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(78)90025-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Carter H. L., 3rd, Moran C. P., Jr New RNA polymerase sigma factor under spo0 control in Bacillus subtilis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Dec;83(24):9438–9442. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.24.9438. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Doi R. H., Wang L. F. Multiple procaryotic ribonucleic acid polymerase sigma factors. Microbiol Rev. 1986 Sep;50(3):227–243. doi: 10.1128/mr.50.3.227-243.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Errington J. Efficient Bacillus subtilis cloning system using bacteriophage vector phi 105J9. J Gen Microbiol. 1984 Oct;130(10):2615–2628. doi: 10.1099/00221287-130-10-2615. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Errington J., Jones D. Cloning in Bacillus subtilis by transfection with bacteriophage vector phi 105J27: isolation and preliminary characterization of transducing phages for 23 sporulation loci. J Gen Microbiol. 1987 Mar;133(3):493–502. doi: 10.1099/00221287-133-3-493. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Errington J. Two separable functional domains in the sigma-subunit of RNA polymerase in Bacillus subtilis? FEBS Lett. 1987 Nov 30;224(2):257–260. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(87)80465-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ferrari E., Henner D. J., Hoch J. A. Isolation of Bacillus subtilis genes from a charon 4A library. J Bacteriol. 1981 Apr;146(1):430–432. doi: 10.1128/jb.146.1.430-432.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ferrari F. A., Lang D., Ferrari E., Hoch J. A. Molecular cloning of the spo0B sporulation locus in bacteriophage lambda. J Bacteriol. 1982 Nov;152(2):809–814. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.2.809-814.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fort P., Errington J. Nucleotide sequence and complementation analysis of a polycistronic sporulation operon, spoVA, in Bacillus subtilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1985 May;131(5):1091–1105. doi: 10.1099/00221287-131-5-1091. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gilman M. Z., Chamberlin M. J. Developmental and genetic regulation of Bacillus subtilis genes transcribed by sigma 28-RNA polymerase. Cell. 1983 Nov;35(1):285–293. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90231-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gribskov M., Burgess R. R. Sigma factors from E. coli, B. subtilis, phage SP01, and phage T4 are homologous proteins. Nucleic Acids Res. 1986 Aug 26;14(16):6745–6763. doi: 10.1093/nar/14.16.6745. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Haldenwang W. G., Lang N., Losick R. A sporulation-induced sigma-like regulatory protein from B. subtilis. Cell. 1981 Feb;23(2):615–624. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90157-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Haldenwang W. G., Losick R. A modified RNA polymerase transcribes a cloned gene under sporulation control in Bacillus subtilis. Nature. 1979 Nov 15;282(5736):256–260. doi: 10.1038/282256a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Ionesco H., Michel J., Cami B., Schaeffer P. Symposium on bacterial spores: II. Genetics of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis Marburg. J Appl Bacteriol. 1970 Mar;33(1):13–24. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1970.tb05230.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Johnson W. C., Moran C. P., Jr, Losick R. Two RNA polymerase sigma factors from Bacillus subtilis discriminate between overlapping promoters for a developmentally regulated gene. Nature. 1983 Apr 28;302(5911):800–804. doi: 10.1038/302800a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Jones D., Errington J. Construction of improved bacteriophage phi 105 vectors for cloning by transfection in Bacillus subtilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1987 Mar;133(3):483–492. doi: 10.1099/00221287-133-3-483. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Losick R., Pero J. Cascades of Sigma factors. Cell. 1981 Sep;25(3):582–584. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90164-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Losick R., Sonenshein A. L. Change in the template specificity of RNA polymerase during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis. Nature. 1969 Oct 4;224(5214):35–37. doi: 10.1038/224035a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. 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]
  23. Messing J. New M13 vectors for cloning. Methods Enzymol. 1983;101:20–78. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(83)01005-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Pabo C. O., Sauer R. T. Protein-DNA recognition. Annu Rev Biochem. 1984;53:293–321. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.53.070184.001453. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Piggot P. J., Coote J. G. Genetic aspects of bacterial endospore formation. Bacteriol Rev. 1976 Dec;40(4):908–962. doi: 10.1128/br.40.4.908-962.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Piggot P. J., Curtis C. A., de Lencastre H. Use of integrational plasmid vectors to demonstrate the polycistronic nature of a transcriptional unit (spoIIA) required for sporulation of Bacillus subtilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1984 Aug;130(8):2123–2136. doi: 10.1099/00221287-130-8-2123. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Rong S., Rosenkrantz M. S., Sonenshein A. L. Transcriptional control of the Bacillus subtilis spoIID gene. J Bacteriol. 1986 Mar;165(3):771–779. doi: 10.1128/jb.165.3.771-779.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Rosenbluh A., Banner C. D., Losick R., Fitz-James P. C. Identification of a new developmental locus in Bacillus subtilis by construction of a deletion mutation in a cloned gene under sporulation control. J Bacteriol. 1981 Oct;148(1):341–351. doi: 10.1128/jb.148.1.341-351.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Sanger F., Coulson A. R., Barrell B. G., Smith A. J., Roe B. A. Cloning in single-stranded bacteriophage as an aid to rapid DNA sequencing. J Mol Biol. 1980 Oct 25;143(2):161–178. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(80)90196-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Segall J., Losick R. Cloned Bacillus subtilis DNA containing a gene that is activated early during sporulation. Cell. 1977 Aug;11(4):751–761. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90289-6. [DOI] [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., Bouvier J., Bonamy C., Szulmajster J. A developmental gene product of Bacillus subtilis homologous to the sigma factor of Escherichia coli. Nature. 1984 Nov 22;312(5992):376–378. doi: 10.1038/312376a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Tinoco I., Jr, Borer P. N., Dengler B., Levin M. D., Uhlenbeck O. C., Crothers D. M., Bralla J. Improved estimation of secondary structure in ribonucleic acids. Nat New Biol. 1973 Nov 14;246(150):40–41. doi: 10.1038/newbio246040a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Trempy J. E., Bonamy C., Szulmajster J., Haldenwang W. G. Bacillus subtilis sigma factor sigma 29 is the product of the sporulation-essential gene spoIIG. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Jun;82(12):4189–4192. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.12.4189. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Trempy J. E., Morrison-Plummer J., Haldenwang W. G. Synthesis of sigma 29, an RNA polymerase specificity determinant, is a developmentally regulated event in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1985 Jan;161(1):340–346. doi: 10.1128/jb.161.1.340-346.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Turner S. M., Errington J., Mandelstam J. Use of a lacZ gene fusion to determine the dependence pattern of sporulation operon spoIIIC in spo mutants of Bacillus subtilis: a branched pathway of expression of sporulation operons. J Gen Microbiol. 1986 Nov;132(11):2995–3003. doi: 10.1099/00221287-132-11-2995. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES