English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Sublancin 168 is a highly potent and stable antimicrobial peptide secreted by the Gram-positive bacterium  Bacillus subtilis . Production of sublancin gives  B .  subtilis  a major competitive growth advantage over a range of other bacteria thriving in the same ecological niches, the soil and plant rhizosphere.  B .  subtilis  protects itself against sublancin by producing the cognate immunity protein SunI. Previous studies have shown that both the  sunA  gene for sublancin and the  sunI  immunity gene are encoded by the prophage SPβ. The  sunA  gene is under control of several transcriptional regulators. Here we describe the mechanisms by which  sunA  is heterogeneously expressed within a population, while the  sunI  gene encoding the immunity protein is homogeneously expressed. The key determinants in heterogeneous  sunA  expression are the transcriptional regulators Spo0A, AbrB and Rok. Interestingly, these regulators have only a minor influence on  sunI  expression and they have no effect on the homogeneous expression of  sunI  within a population of growing cells. Altogether, our findings imply that the homogeneous expression of  sunI  allows even cells that are not producing sublancin to protect themselves at all times from the active sublancin produced at high levels by their isogenic neighbors. This suggests a mutualistic evolutionary strategy entertained by the SPβ prophage and its  Bacillus  host, ensuring both stable prophage maintenance and a maximal competitive advantage for the host at minimal costs.

Differential expression of a prophage-encoded glycocin and its immunity protein suggests a mutualistic strategy of a phage and its host