This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Craig, J. E.
Right arrow Articles by Sonenshein, A. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Craig, J. E.
Right arrow Articles by Sonenshein, A. L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J. Bacteriol., Dec 1997, 7351-7359, Vol 179, No. 23
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology

A null mutation in the Bacillus subtilis aconitase gene causes a block in Spo0A-phosphate-dependent gene expression

JE Craig, MJ Ford, DC Blaydon and AL Sonenshein
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.

The citB gene of Bacillus subtilis encodes aconitase, the enzyme of the Krebs citric acid cycle, which is responsible for the interconversion of citrate and isocitrate. A B. subtilis strain with an insertion mutation in the citB gene was devoid of aconitase activity and aconitase protein, required glutamate for growth in minimal medium, and was unable to sporulate efficiently in nutrient broth sporulation medium. Mutant cells failed to form the asymmetric septum characteristic of sporulating cells and were defective in transcription of the earliest-expressed spo genes, that is, the genes dependent on the Spo0A phosphorelay. However, this early block in sporulation was partially overcome when cells of the citB mutant were induced to sporulate by resuspension in a poor medium. Accumulation of citrate in the mutant cells or in their culture fluid may be responsible for the early block, possibly because citrate can chelate divalent cations needed for the activity of the phosphorelay.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Sadykov, M. R., Olson, M. E., Halouska, S., Zhu, Y., Fey, P. D., Powers, R., Somerville, G. A. (2008). Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle-Dependent Regulation of Staphylococcus epidermidis Polysaccharide Intercellular Adhesin Synthesis. J. Bacteriol. 190: 7621-7632 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Serio, A. W., Pechter, K. B., Sonenshein, A. L. (2006). Bacillus subtilis Aconitase Is Required for Efficient Late-Sporulation Gene Expression.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6396-6405 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Serio, A. W., Sonenshein, A. L. (2006). Expression of Yeast Mitochondrial Aconitase in Bacillus subtilis.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6406-6410 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, H.-J., Mittal, M., Sonenshein, A. L. (2006). CcpC-Dependent Regulation of citB and lmo0847 in Listeria monocytogenes. J. Bacteriol. 188: 179-190 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Alsaker, K. V., Papoutsakis, E. T. (2005). Transcriptional Program of Early Sporulation and Stationary-Phase Events in Clostridium acetobutylicum. J. Bacteriol. 187: 7103-7118 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chatterjee, I., Becker, P., Grundmeier, M., Bischoff, M., Somerville, G. A., Peters, G., Sinha, B., Harraghy, N., Proctor, R. A., Herrmann, M. (2005). Staphylococcus aureus ClpC Is Required for Stress Resistance, Aconitase Activity, Growth Recovery, and Death. J. Bacteriol. 187: 4488-4496 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Alsaker, K. V., Spitzer, T. R., Papoutsakis, E. T. (2004). Transcriptional Analysis of spo0A Overexpression in Clostridium acetobutylicum and Its Effect on the Cell's Response to Butanol Stress. J. Bacteriol. 186: 1959-1971 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chenoweth, M. R., Somerville, G. A., Krause, D. C., O'Reilly, K. L., Gherardini, F. C. (2004). Growth Characteristics of Bartonella henselae in a Novel Liquid Medium: Primary Isolation, Growth-Phase-Dependent Phage Induction, and Metabolic Studies. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 656-663 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, H.-J., Kim, S.-I., Ratnayake-Lecamwasam, M., Tachikawa, K., Sonenshein, A. L., Strauch, M. (2003). Complex Regulation of the Bacillus subtilis Aconitase Gene. J. Bacteriol. 185: 1672-1680 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Varghese, S., Tang, Y., Imlay, J. A. (2003). Contrasting Sensitivities of Escherichia coli Aconitases A and B to Oxidation and Iron Depletion. J. Bacteriol. 185: 221-230 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Somerville, G. A., Chaussee, M. S., Morgan, C. I., Fitzgerald, J. R., Dorward, D. W., Reitzer, L. J., Musser, J. M. (2002). Staphylococcus aureus Aconitase Inactivation Unexpectedly Inhibits Post-Exponential-Phase Growth and Enhances Stationary-Phase Survival. Infect. Immun. 70: 6373-6382 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Viollier, P. H., Minas, W., Dale, G. E., Folcher, M., Thompson, C. J. (2001). Role of Acid Metabolism in Streptomyces coelicolor Morphological Differentiation and Antibiotic Biosynthesis. J. Bacteriol. 183: 3184-3192 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Viollier, P. H., Nguyen, K. T., Minas, W., Folcher, M., Dale, G. E., Thompson, C. J. (2001). Roles of Aconitase in Growth, Metabolism, and Morphological Differentiation of Streptomyces coelicolor. J. Bacteriol. 183: 3193-3203 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ratnayake-Lecamwasam, M., Serror, P., Wong, K.-W., Sonenshein, A. L. (2001). Bacillus subtilis CodY represses early-stationary-phase genes by sensing GTP levels. Genes Dev. 15: 1093-1103 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schwartz, D., Kaspar, S., Kienzlen, G., Muschko, K., Wohlleben, W. (1999). Inactivation of the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Aconitase Gene from Streptomyces viridochromogenes Tu494 Impairs Morphological and Physiological Differentiation. J. Bacteriol. 181: 7131-7135 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Alen, C., Sonenshein, A. L. (1999). Bacillus subtilis aconitase is an RNA-binding protein. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 10412-10417 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Matsuno, K., Blais, T., Serio, A. W., Conway, T., Henkin, T. M., Sonenshein, A. L. (1999). Metabolic Imbalance and Sporulation in an Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Mutant of Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 181: 3382-3391 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Matsuno, K., Sonenshein, A. L. (1999). Role of SpoVG in Asymmetric Septation in Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 181: 3392-3401 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nakano, M. M., Zuber, P., Sonenshein, A. L. (1998). Anaerobic Regulation of Bacillus subtilis Krebs Cycle Genes. J. Bacteriol. 180: 3304-3311 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Baughn, A. D., Malamy, M. H. (2002). From the Cover: A mitochondrial-like aconitase in the bacterium Bacteroides fragilis: Implications for the evolution of the mitochondrial Krebs cycle. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99: 4662-4667 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»