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Journal of Bacteriology, September 2009, p. 5775-5784, Vol. 191, No. 18
0021-9193/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00521-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Role of the {sigma}D-Dependent Autolysins in Bacillus subtilis Population Heterogeneity{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Rui Chen, Sarah B. Guttenplan, Kris M. Blair, and Daniel B. Kearns*

Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405

Received 17 April 2009/ Accepted 16 June 2009

Exponentially growing populations of Bacillus subtilis contain two morphologically and functionally distinct cell types: motile individuals and nonmotile multicellular chains. Motility differentiation arises because RNA polymerase and the alternative sigma factor {sigma}D activate expression of flagellin in a subpopulation of cells. Here we demonstrate that the peptidoglycan-remodeling autolysins under {sigma}D control, LytC, LytD, and LytF, are expressed in the same subpopulation of cells that complete flagellar synthesis. Morphological heterogeneity is explained by the expression of LytF that is necessary and sufficient for cell separation. Moreover, LytC is required for motility but not at the level of cell separation or flagellum biosynthesis. Rather, LytC appears to be important for flagellar function, and motility was restored to a LytC mutant by mutation of either lonA, encoding the LonA protease, or a gene encoding a previously unannotated swarming motility inhibitor, SmiA. We conclude that heterogeneous activation of {sigma}D-dependent gene expression is sufficient to explain both the morphological heterogeneity and functional heterogeneity present in vegetative B. subtilis populations.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405. Phone: (812) 856-2523. Fax: (812) 856-6705. E-mail: dbkearns{at}indiana.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 19 June 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jb.asm.org/.

Journal of Bacteriology, September 2009, p. 5775-5784, Vol. 191, No. 18
0021-9193/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00521-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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