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Journal of Bacteriology, July 1999, p. 3942-3948, Vol. 181, No. 13
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Expression of the sigma B-Dependent General Stress Regulon Confers Multiple Stress Resistance in Bacillus subtilis

Uwe Völker,1 Björn Maul,2 and Michael Hecker2,*

Laboratorium für Mikrobiologie und MPI für terrestrische Mikrobiologie, Philipps-Universität, 35043 Marburg,1 and Institut für Mikrobiologie und Molekularbiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität, 17487 Greifswald,2 Germany

Received 16 February 1999/Accepted 19 April 1999

The alternative sigma factor sigma B of Bacillus subtilis is required for the induction of approximately 100 genes after the imposition of a whole range of stresses and energy limitation. In this study, we investigated the impact of a null mutation in sigB on the stress and starvation survival of B. subtilis. sigB mutants which failed to induce the regulon following stress displayed an at least 50- to 100-fold decrease in survival of severe heat (54°C) or ethanol (9%) shock, salt (10%) stress, and acid (pH 4.3) stress, as well as freezing and desiccation, compared to the wild type. Preloading cells with sigma B-dependent general stress proteins prior to growth-inhibiting stress conferred considerable protection against heat and salt. Exhaustion of glucose or phosphate induced the sigma B response, but surprisingly, sigma B did not seem to be required for starvation survival. Starved wild-type cells exhibited about 10-fold greater resistance to salt stress than exponentially growing cells. The data argue that the expression of sigma B-dependent genes provides nonsporulated B. subtilis cells with a nonspecific multiple stress resistance that may be relevant for stress survival in the natural ecosystem.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Molekularbiologie, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany. Phone: 0049-3834-864200. Fax: 0049-3834-864202. E-mail: hecker{at}microbio7.biologie.uni-greifswald.de.

Journal of Bacteriology, July 1999, p. 3942-3948, Vol. 181, No. 13
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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