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Journal of Bacteriology, April 2001, p. 2505-2515, Vol. 183, No. 8
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.8.2505-2515.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Bacillus subtilis NhaC, an Na+/H+ Antiporter, Influences Expression of the phoPR Operon and Production of Alkaline Phosphatases

Zoltán Prágai,1 Caroline Eschevins,2 Sierd Bron,2 and Colin R. Harwood1,*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom,1 and Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands2

Received 25 October 2000/Accepted 25 January 2001

When Bacillus subtilis is subjected to phosphate starvation, genes of the Pho regulon are either induced or repressed. Among those induced are genes encoding alkaline phosphatases (APases). A set of isogenic mutants, with a beta -galactosidase gene transcriptionally fused to the inactivated target gene, was used to identify genes that influence the operation of the Pho regulon. One such gene was nhaC (previously yheL). In the absence of NhaC, growth and APase production were enhanced, while the production of other non-Pho-regulon secretory proteins (proteases and alpha -amylase) did not change. The influence of NhaC on growth, APase synthesis, and its own expression was dependent on the external Na+ concentration. Other monovalent cations such as Li+ or K+ had no effect. We propose a role for NhaC in the uptake of Na+. nhaC appears to be encoded by a monocistronic operon and, contrary to previous reports, is not in the same transcriptional unit as yheK, the gene immediately upstream. The increase in APase production was dependent on an active PhoR, the sensor kinase of the two-component system primarily responsible for controlling the Pho regulon. Transcriptional fusions showed that the phoPR operon and both phoA (encoding APaseA) and phoB (encoding APaseB) were hyperinduced in the absence of NhaC and repressed when this protein was overproduced. This suggests that NhaC effects APase production via phoPR.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom. Phone: 44-191-222-7708. Fax: 44-191-222-7736. E-mail: Colin.Harwood{at}ncl.ac.uk.

Journal of Bacteriology, April 2001, p. 2505-2515, Vol. 183, No. 8
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.8.2505-2515.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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