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J. Bacteriol. doi:10.1128/JB.01081-07
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Abh and AbrB control of Bacillus subtilis antimicrobial gene expression

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Dental School, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 650 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA; Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, 128 Polk Hall, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: mstrauch{at}umaryland.edu.

	Abstract

The Bacillus subtilis abh gene encodes a protein whose N-terminal domain has 74% identity to the DNA-binding domain of the global regulatory protein AbrB. Strains with a mutation in abh showed alterations in the production of antimicrobial compounds directed against some other Bacillus species and gram-positive microbes. Relative to its wild-type parental strain, the abh mutant was found either deficient, enhanced, or unaffected for production of antimicrobial activity. Using lacZ fusions, we examined abh effects upon expression of ten promoters known to be regulated by AbrB, including five that transcribe well-characterized antimicrobial functions (SdpC, SkfA, TasA, sublancin, subtilosin). In an otherwise wild-type background, the results show that Abh plays a negative regulatory role in expression of four of the promoters, a positive role for expression of three and no apparent regulatory role at the other three promoters. Binding of AbrB and Abh to the promoter regions was examined using DNase I footprinting and the results revealed significant differences. Transcription of abh is not autoregulated but is subject to a degree of AbrB-afforded negative regulation. The results indicate Abh is part of the complex interconnected regulatory system that controls gene expression during the transition from active growth to stationary phase.

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