Natural Genetic Competence in <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> Natto OK2

DOI Web Site 22 Citations
  • Sayaka Ashikaga
    <!--label omitted: 1-->Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, College of Science, Rikkyo (St. Paul's) University, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan
  • Hideaki Nanamiya
    <!--label omitted: 1-->Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, College of Science, Rikkyo (St. Paul's) University, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan
  • Yoshiaki Ohashi
    <!--label omitted: 1-->Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, College of Science, Rikkyo (St. Paul's) University, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan
  • Fujio Kawamura
    <!--label omitted: 1-->Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, College of Science, Rikkyo (St. Paul's) University, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan

Abstract

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p> We isolated a <jats:italic>Bacillus subtilis</jats:italic> natto strain, designated OK2, from a lot of commercial fermented soybean natto and studied its ability to undergo natural competence development using a <jats:italic>comG-lacZ</jats:italic> fusion at the <jats:italic>amyE</jats:italic> locus. Although transcription of the late competence genes was not detected in the <jats:italic>B. subtilis</jats:italic> natto strain OK2 during competence development, these genes were constitutively transcribed in the OK2 strain carrying either the <jats:italic>mecA</jats:italic> or the <jats:italic>clpC</jats:italic> mutation derived from <jats:italic>B. subtilis</jats:italic> 168. In addition, both OK2 mutants exhibited high transformation frequencies, comparable with that observed for <jats:italic>B. subtilis</jats:italic> 168. Moreover, as expected from these results, overproduction of ComK derived from strain 168 in strain OK2 resulted in a high transformation frequency as well as in induction of the late competence genes. These results clearly indicated that ComK produced in both the <jats:italic>mecA</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>clpC</jats:italic> mutants of strain OK2 (ComK <jats:sub>OK2</jats:sub> ) could activate the transcription of the whole set of late competence genes and suggested that ComK <jats:sub>OK2</jats:sub> was not activated in strain OK2 during competence development. We therefore sequenced the <jats:italic>comS</jats:italic> gene of OK2 and compared it with that of 168. The <jats:italic>comS</jats:italic> <jats:sub>OK2</jats:sub> had a single-base change, resulting in the replacement of Ser (strain 168) by Cys (strain OK2) at position 11. </jats:p>

Journal

Citations (22)*help

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top