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. 1983 Jul;80(13):4074–4078. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.13.4074

Isolation and physical mapping of the gene encoding the major sigma factor of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase.

C W Price, M A Gitt, R H Doi
PMCID: PMC394203  PMID: 6306662

Abstract

At least four sigma factors separately bind the Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase core (beta beta' alpha 2), each conferring a different promoter specificity on the holoenzyme in vitro. Using the Broome-Gilbert immunological screening, we isolated recombinant lambda phages that carry rpoD, the gene for the most abundant sigma factor, sigma 55. These phages encode a 55,000-dalton protein whose size, immunological properties, and peptide map identify it as sigma 55. All the phages have in common two adjacent 3.5-kilobase EcoRI fragments from the B. subtilis chromosome; most carry additional genomic DNA. Deletion analysis localized rpoD to a 1.6-kilobase region, suggested the direction of its transcription, and found two additional genes near rpoD, which code for proteins of 62,000 and 17,000 daltons.

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Selected References

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