Compilation of sB-Dependent General Stress Genes in Bacillus subtilis

 

Last modified on October 1, 2001

 

 

            Known or inferred sB-dependent genes have been identified by a variety of approaches (see the original reference indicated for each gene).  Here they are listed in categories based on their expression mechanisms.  Category One genes are the best studied and have clear sB recognition sequences that have been experimentally associated with expression.  These Category One genes are considered the "known" sB-dependent genes.  In contrast, Categories Two and Three comprise the "inferred" sB-dependent genes.  For Category Two genes, possible sB recognition sequences have been identified upstream of the open reading frame of interest, but the function of these sequences has not been confirmed.  For Category Three genes, no obvious sB recognition sequences have been found, and many are likely to be indirectly dependent on sB.  The emerging view is that relatively few genes in the sB regulon serve to directly counter environmental stress.  Instead, it appears that the general stress response brings about a metabolic realignment that confers a more passive stress resistance.

 

Category One Genes.  Recognition sequences experimentally associated with expression.

 

Gene1

Known or inferred function2

Reference

bmrU

COG1597/Uncharacterized ancient conserved region

Petersohn et al (1999a)

ctc

COG1825/Ribosomal prot L25 (general stress prot Ctc)

Igo et al (1987)

clpP

Clp energy-dependent protease

Gerth et al (1998)

csbA

unknown

Boylan et al (1991)

csbB

COG0463/Glycosyltransferases in cell wall biogenesis

Akbar et al (1996)

csbC

COG0477/Permeases of major facilitator superfamily

Akbar et al (1999)

csbD

COG3237/Uncharacterized bacterial conserved region

Ibid

csbX

COG0477/Permeases of major facilitator superfamily

Gomez & Cutting (1997)

=bofC

Sporulation control; checkpoint for sK processing

Ibid

ctsR

Repressor of Class III heat shock genes

Krüger et al (1996)

=mcsA

Positive regulator of CtsR repression; putative Zn finger

Ibid

=mcsB

Negative regulator of CtrR repression; putative kinase

Ibid

=clpC

Clp ATPase

Ibid

=radA (sms)

UV and methyl methane-sulfonate resistance

Ibid

=yakK (comY)

UV resistance and genetic competence

Ibid

dps

COG0783/Starvation-induced DNA binding protein

Antelmann et al (1997a)

gsiB

Possible desiccation stress protein

Maul et al (1995)

gspA

COG1442/Lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis proteins

Antelmann et al (1995)

gtaB

UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase

Varón et al (1993)

katB

Stationary-phase catalase 2

Engelmann et al (1995)

katX

Spore germination and outgrowth catalase

Petersohn et al (1999c)

nadE

NAD synthetase

Antelmann et al (1997b)

opuE

Osmoregulated proline transport

von Blohn et al (1997)

rsbV

Anti-anti-s factor regulating sB activity

Kalman et al (1990)

=rsbW

Anti-s factor regulating sB activity

Ibid

=sigB

sB structural gene

Ibid

=rsbX

Feedback PP2C phosphatase regulating sB activity

Ibid

trxA

Probable thioredoxin; essential gene

Scharf et al (1998)

ycnH

COG1012/NAD-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenases

Petersohn et al (1999b)

ydaD

COG1028/Dehydrogenases with different specificities

Petersohn et al (1999a)

=ydaE

unknown

Ibid

ydaG

unknown

Ibid

ydaP

COG0028/Thiamine pyrophosphate-requiring enzyme

Ibid

ydbD

COG3546/Mn-containing catalase

Price et al (2001)

ydfO

COG0346/Lactoylglutathione lyase

Ibid

yfkJ

COG0394/Protein tyrosine phosphatase

Ibid

=yfkI

unknown

Ibid

=yfkH

COG1295/tRNA processing ribonuclease BN

Ibid

yflA

COG1115/Na+/alanine symporter

Petersohn et al (1999b)

yjbC

unknown

Ibid

ykzA

COG1764/Stress-induced; Possible org hydroperoxide res  

Völker et al (1998)

yqgZ

COG1393/Arsenate reductases and related proteins

Price et al (2001)

ytxG

Possible desiccation stress protein

Varón et al (1996)

=ytxH

unknown

Ibid

=ytxJ

unknown

Ibid

yvyD

COG1544/Ribosome associated proteinY (PSrp-1)

Drzewiecki et al (1998)

ywjC

unknown

Price et al (2001)

ywmE

unknown

Ibid

ywtG

COG0477/Permeases of major facilitator superfamily

Ibid

 

1Listed alphabetically by first gene of the transcriptional unit; additional sB-dependent genes in the same transcriptional unit are indicated by an = sign.

 

2For genes whose function is known by experiment, this function is indicated.  Please refer to the SubtiList Database (http://genolist.pasteur.fr/SubtiList/) for the original reference to that function.  For genes whose function has not yet been established, please refer to the COG Database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/COG/). 

 

 

Category Two Genes.  Possible recognition sequences; no experimental confirmation.

 

            Table 2 is under revision.

 

 

Category Three Genes.  No obvious recognition sequences.

 

            Table 3 is under revision.

 

 

References

 

Akbar, S., and C. W. Price. 1996. Isolation and characterization of csbB, a gene controlled by Bacillus subtilis general stress transcription factor sB. Gene 177:123-128.

 

Akbar, S., S. Y. Lee, S. A. Boylan, and C. W. Price. 1999. Two genes from Bacillus subtilis under the sole control of the general stress transcription factor sB. Microbiology 145:1069-1078.

 

Antelmann, H., J. Bernhardt, R. Schmid, and M. Hecker. 1995. A gene at 333 degrees on the Bacillus subtilis chromosome encodes the newly identified sB-dependent general stress protein GspA. J Bacteriol 177:3540-3545.

 

Antelmann, H., S. Engelmann, R. Schmid, A. Sorokin, A. Lapidus, and M. Hecker. 1997a. Expression of a stress- and starvation-induced dps/pexB-homologous gene is controlled by the alternative sigma factor sB in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 179:7251-7256.

 

Antelmann, H., R. Schmid, and M. Hecker. 1997b. The NAD synthetase NadE (OutB) of Bacillus subtilis is a sB-dependent general stress protein. FEMS Microbiol Lett 153:405-409.

 

Boylan, S. A, M. D. Thomas, and C. W. Price.  1991.  Genetic method to identify regulons controlled by non-essential elements:  isolation of a gene dependent on alternative transcription factor sB of Bacillus subtilis.  J. Bacteriol. 173:7856-7866.

 

Drzewiecki, K., C. Eymann, G. Mittenhuber, and M. Hecker. 1998. The yvyD gene of Bacillus subtilis is under dual control of sB and sH. J Bacteriol 180:6674-6680.

 

Engelmann, S., C. Lindner, and M. Hecker. 1995. Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and regulation of katE encoding a sB-dependent catalase in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 177:5598-5605.

 

Gerth, U., E. Krüger, I. Derre, T. Msadek, and M. Hecker. 1998. Stress induction of the Bacillus subtilis clpP gene encoding a homologue of the proteolytic component of the Clp protease and the involvement of ClpP and ClpX in stress tolerance. Mol Microbiol 28:787-802

 

Gomez, M., and S. M. Cutting. 1997. Identification of a new sB-controlled gene, csbX, in Bacillus subtilis. Gene 188:29-33.

 

Igo, M., M. Lampe, C. Ray, W. Schafer, C. P. Moran, Jr., and R. Losick. 1987. Genetic studies of a secondary RNA polymerase sigma factor in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 169:3464-3469.

 

Kalman, S., M. L. Duncan, S. M. Thomas, and C. W. Price. 1990. Similar organization of the sigB and spoIIA operons encoding alternate sigma factors of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase. J Bacteriol 172:5575-5585.

 

Krüger, E., T. Msadek, and M. Hecker. 1996. Alternate promoters direct stress-induced transcription of the Bacillus subtilis clpC operon. Mol Microbiol 20:713-723.

 

Petersohn, A., H. Antelmann, U. Gerth, and M. Hecker. 1999a. Identification and transcriptional analysis of new members of the sB regulon in Bacillus subtilis. Microbiology 145:869-880.

 

Petersohn, A., J. Bernhardt, U. Gerth, D. Hoper, T. Koburger, U. Völker, and M. Hecker. 1999b. Identification of sB-dependent genes in Bacillus subtilis using a promoter consensus-directed search and oligonucleotide hybridization. J Bacteriol 181:5718-5724.

 

Petersohn, A., S. Engelmann, P. Setlow, and M. Hecker. 1999c. The katX gene of Bacillus subtilis is under dual control of sB and sF. Mol Gen Genet 262:173-179.

 

Price, C. W., P. Fawcett, H. Cérémonie, N. Su, C. K. Murphy, and P. Youngman. 2001. Genome-wide analysis of the general stress response in Bacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol 41:757-774.

 

Scharf, C., S. Riethdorf, H. Ernst, S. Engelmann, U. Völker, and M. Hecker. 1998. Thioredoxin is an essential protein induced by multiple stresses in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 180:1869-1877.

 

Varón, D., S. A. Boylan, K. Okamoto, and C. W. Price. 1993. Bacillus subtilis gtaB encodes UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and is controlled by stationary-phase transcription factor sB. J Bacteriol 175:3964-3971.

 

Varón, D., M. S. Brody, and C. W. Price. 1996. Bacillus subtilis operon under the dual control of the general stress transcription factor sB and the sporulation transcription factor sH. Mol Microbiol 20:339-350.

 

Völker, U., K. K. Andersen, H. Antelmann, K. M. Devine, and M. Hecker. 1998. One of two osmC homologs in Bacillus subtilis is part of the sB-dependent general stress regulon. J Bacteriol 180:4212-4218.

 

von Blohn, C., B. Kempf, R. M. Kappes, and E. Bremer. 1997. Osmostress response in Bacillus subtilis:  characterization of a proline uptake system (OpuE) regulated by high osmolarity and the alternative transcription factor sB. Mol Microbiol 25:175-187.

 

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