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Bacillus subtilis DegU acts as a positive regulator for comK expression
Author(s) -
Ogura Mitsuo,
Tanaka Teruo
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(96)01170-2
Subject(s) - regulator , bacillus subtilis , biology , mutant , gene , regulator gene , regulation of gene expression , mutation , genetics , repressor , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , bacteria
Bacillus subtilis ComK plays a critical role in competence development. We report that B. subtilis degR , a positive regulator for exoenzyme production, is negatively regulated by overproduced ComK caused by a mecA null mutation. To identify a positive regulator for comK expression in the mecA background, mutations that allowed the degR gene to be expressed were screened in Tn10 transposon insertion mutants. As a result, we identified degU insertion mutations as those having such a property. The degU mutation reduced comK‐lacZ expression in a competence medium in both the wild‐type and mecA cells in sporulation and competence media. These results indicate that the degU gene product acts as a positive regulator for comK expression even under the condition where the negative regulation of comK by MecA is released.