This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: JB.00901-07v1 190/3/807    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Perkins, A. E. Articles by Nicholson, W. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Perkins, A. E. Articles by Nicholson, W. L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, February 2008, p. 807-814, Vol. 190, No. 3
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00901-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Uncovering New Metabolic Capabilities of Bacillus subtilis Using Phenotype Profiling of Rifampin-Resistant rpoB Mutants

Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899

Received 8 June 2007/ Accepted 11 July 2007

RNA polymerase is a central macromolecular machine controlling the flow of information from genotype to phenotype, and insights into global transcriptional regulation can be gained by studying mutational perturbations in the enzyme. Mutations in the RNA polymerase β subunit gene rpoB causing resistance to rifampin (Rif^r) in Bacillus subtilis were previously shown to lead to alterations in the expression of a number of global phenotypes known to be under transcriptional control, such as growth, competence for transformation, sporulation, and germination (H. Maughan, B. Galeano, and W. L. Nicholson, J. Bacteriol. 186:2481-2486, 2004). To better understand the global effects of rpoB mutations on metabolism, wild-type and 11 distinct congenic Rif^r mutant strains of B. subtilis were tested for utilization of 95 substrates by use of Biolog GP2 MicroPlates. A number of alterations of substrate utilization patterns were observed in the Rif^r mutants, including the utilization of novel substrates previously unknown in B. subtilis, such as gentiobiose, β-methyl-D-glucoside, and D-psicose. The results indicate that combining global metabolic profiling with mutations in RNA polymerase provides a system-wide approach for uncovering previously unknown metabolic capabilities and further understanding global transcriptional control circuitry in B. subtilis.

Published ahead of print on 20 July 2007.