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Journal of Bacteriology, July 2009, p. 4615-4623, Vol. 191, No. 14
0021-9193/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00255-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Activation of the Promoter of the Fengycin Synthetase Operon by the UP Element {triangledown}

Wan-Ju Ke,1 Ban-Yang Chang,2 Tsuey-Pin Lin,3 and Shih-Tung Liu1*

Research Center for Bacterial Pathogenesis and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang-Gung University, Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan,1 Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan,2 Department of Health and Nutrition, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan 701, Taiwan3

Received 26 February 2009/ Accepted 6 May 2009

Bacillus subtilis F29-3 produces an antifungal peptidic antibiotic that is synthesized nonribosomally by fengycin synthetases. Our previous work established that the promoter of the fengycin synthetase operon is located 86 nucleotides upstream of the translational initiation codon of fenC. This investigation involved transcriptional fusions with a DNA fragment that contains the region between positions –105 and +80 and determined that deleting the region between positions –55 and –42 reduces the promoter activity by 64.5%. Transcriptional fusions in the B. subtilis DB2 chromosome also indicated that mutating the sequence markedly reduces the promoter activity. An in vitro transcription analysis confirmed that the transcription is inefficient when the sequence in this region is mutated. Electrophoretic mobility shift and footprinting analyses demonstrated that the C-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase {alpha} subunit binds to the region between positions –55 and –39. These results indicated that the sequence is an UP element. Finally, this UP element is critical for the production of fengycin, since mutating the UP sequence in the chromosome of B. subtilis F29-3 reduces the transcription of the fen operon by 85% and prevents the cells from producing enough fengycin to suppress the germination of Paecilomyces variotii spores on agar plates.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Research Center for Bacterial Pathogenesis and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang-Gung University, 259, Wen-Hwa 1st Road, Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan. Phone and fax: 886-3-2118292. E-mail: cgliu{at}mail.cgu.edu.tw

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 15 May 2009.

Journal of Bacteriology, July 2009, p. 4615-4623, Vol. 191, No. 14
0021-9193/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00255-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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