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Journal of Bacteriology, July 2003, p. 3905-3917, Vol. 185, No. 13
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.13.3905-3917.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Expression of spoIIIJ in the Prespore Is Sufficient for Activation of {sigma}G and for Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis

Mónica Serrano,1 Luísa Côrte,1 Jason Opdyke,2 Charles P. Moran, Jr.,2 and Adriano O. Henriques1*

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2781-901 Oeiras Codex, Portugal,1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 303222

Received 25 November 2002/ Accepted 9 April 2003

During sporulation in Bacillus subtilis, the prespore-specific developmental program is initiated soon after asymmetric division of the sporangium by the compartment-specific activation of RNA polymerase sigma factor {sigma}F. {sigma}F directs transcription of spoIIIG, encoding the late forespore-specific regulator {sigma}G. Following synthesis, {sigma}G is initially kept in an inactive form, presumably because it is bound to the SpoIIAB anti-sigma factor. Activation of {sigma}G occurs only after the complete engulfment of the prespore by the mother cell. Mutations in spoIIIJ arrest sporulation soon after conclusion of the engulfment process and prevent activation of {sigma}G. Here we show that {sigma}G accumulates but is mostly inactive in a spoIIIJ mutant. We also show that expression of the spoIIIGE155K allele, encoding a form of {sigma}G that is not efficiently bound by SpoIIAB in vitro, restores {sigma}G-directed gene expression to a spoIIIJ mutant. Expression of spoIIIJ occurs during vegetative growth. However, we show that expression of spoIIIJ in the prespore is sufficient for {sigma}G activation and for sporulation. Mutations in the mother cell-specific spoIIIA locus are known to arrest sporulation just after completion of the engulfment process. Previous work has also shown that {sigma}G accumulates in an inactive form in spoIIIA mutants and that the need for spoIIIA expression for {sigma}G activation can be circumvented by the spoIIIGE155K allele. However, in contrast to the case for spoIIIJ, we show that expression of spoIIIA in the prespore does not support efficient sporulation. The results suggest that the activation of {sigma}G at the end of the engulfment process involves the action of spoIIIA from the mother cell and of spoIIIJ from the prespore.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Apartado 127, 2781-901 Oeiras Codex, Portugal. Phone: 351-21-4469521. Fax: 351-21-4411277. E-mail: aoh{at}itqb.unl.pt.

Journal of Bacteriology, July 2003, p. 3905-3917, Vol. 185, No. 13
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.13.3905-3917.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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