Abstract
STUDIES of the onset of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis can provide information of value to the study of differentiation in general. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in initiating sporulation, or any other developmental process. Mutations at any one of nine distinct genetic loci may block sporulation in B. subtilis at early stages without affecting vegetative growth1,2. These mutations are pleiotropic, in that they are not only blocked in sporulation but are also impaired, to various degrees, in stage 0 functions such as antibiotic and protease production, competence for transformation, and sensitivity to surface active antibiotics and phage3. We have examined the ribosomal composition of these stage 0 mutants and of the same mutants bearing an additional mutation in another locus, abrB, that results in suppression of the pleiotropic mutant phenotype without suppressing the sporulation defect. We report here that abrB mutations define a new cluster of ribosomal protein genes, with the origin proximal to the main group of ribosomal genes. These findings demonstrate the involvement of ribosomes in the control of early stages of the sporulation cycle.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hoch, J. A. Adv. Genet. 18, 69–99 (1976).
Piggot, P. J. & Coote, J. G. Bact. Rev. 40, 908–962 (1976).
Brehm, S. P., Staal, S. P. & Hoch, J. A. J. Bact. 115, 1063–1070 (1973).
Guespin-Michel, J. F. Molec. gen. Genet. 112, 243–254 (1971).
Ito, J. Molec. gen. Genet. 124, 97–106 (1973).
Young, F. E. & Wilson, G. A. in Spores Vol. 6 (eds Gerhardt, P., Costilow, R. N. & Sadoff, H. L.) 596–614 (American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C., (1975).
Domoto, T., Kobayashi, K. & Kobayashi, Y. in Spores Vol. 6 (eds Gerhardt, P.. Costilow, R. N. & Sadoff, H. L.), 307–313 (American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C., (1975).
Fortnagel, P. & Bergman, R. Biochim. biophys. Acta 299, 136–141 (1973).
Leighton, T. J. J. molec. Biol. 86, 855–863 (1974).
Rhaese, H.-J., Hoch, J. A. & Groscurth, R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 1125–1129 (1977).
Harford, N. et al. in Microbiology—1976 (ed. Schlessinger, D.) 28–34 (American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C., (1976).
Freienstein, C. & Blobel, G. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 72, 3392–3396 (1975).
Martini, O. H. W. & Gould, H. J. J. molec. Biol. 62, 403–405 (1971).
Geisser, M., Tischendorf, G. W. & Stöffler, G. Molec. gen. Genet. 127, 129–145 (1973).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
TROWSDALE, J., SHIFLETT, M. & HOCH, J. New cluster of ribosomal genes in Bacillus subtilis with regulatory role in sporulation. Nature 272, 179–181 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/272179a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/272179a0
This article is cited by
-
Genetic mapping of a mutation causing an alteration in Bacillus subtilis ribosomal protein S4
Molecular and General Genetics MGG (1984)
-
Restriction and modification in Bacillus subtilis 168
Molecular and General Genetics MGG (1982)
-
Specificity of translation of spore polypeptides in bacillus in vitro systems
Archives of Microbiology (1981)
-
Conditional lethal mutants of Bacillus subtilis dependent on kasugamycin for growth
Molecular and General Genetics MGG (1981)
-
Genetic analysis of a class of polymyxin resistant partial revertants of stage O sporulation mutants of Bacillus subtilis: Map of the chromosome region near the origin of replication
Molecular and General Genetics MGG (1979)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.