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Bacillus subtilis FlhA: a flagellar protein related to a new family of signal‐transducing receptors
Author(s) -
Carpenter Phillip B.,
Ordal Georges W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01164.x
Subject(s) - biology , operon , bacillus subtilis , flagellum , genetics , gene , sigma factor , homology (biology) , transcription (linguistics) , microbiology and biotechnology , rna polymerase , rna , bacteria , escherichia coli , linguistics , philosophy
Summary The Bacillus subtilis flhA gene lies in the major che/fla operon, a transcription unit that spans 26 kilobases (kb) of DNA. flhA encodes a 677‐amino‐acid polypeptide that is a strong candidate for an integral membrane protein. The sequence of FlhA displays substantial homology to a newly identified family of putative signal‐transducing receptors that have been implicated in diverse cellular processes. FlhA is the first member of this family to be described from a Gram‐positive bacterium. We demonstrate that flhA is a flagellar gene and that FlhA is required in trans for the formation of products from some, but not all, B. subtilis motility‐related operons that are regulated by the α D form of RNA polymerase. We suggest that FlhA is a component of a signalling system that is involved with the formation of some flagellar gene products during the biosynthesis of the flagellum.