Affiliation:
1. Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences (WCFS)
2. Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The alternative sigma factor σ
B
of the food pathogen
Bacillus cereus
is activated upon stress exposure and plays a role in the adaptive response of vegetative cells. This study describes the identification of σ
B
-dependent genes in
B. cereus
. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was performed with protein extracts from a σ
B
-overproducing
B. cereus
strain. Nine protein spots, which were absent from the negative control, were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry or N-terminal sequencing. The σ
B
-dependent expression of the corresponding genes was confirmed by Northern blot analysis with RNA isolated from
B. cereus
ATCC 14579 and its
sigB
null mutant. Northern blot analysis also revealed that six other genes were part of σ
B
-dependent operons. The proteins that are predicted to be encoded by the σ
B
-dependent genes include an intracellular protease, a Mg
2+
transporter, and a thiamine biosynthesis protein (ThiG). Highly conserved promoter sites were found to precede all σ
B
-dependent genes, with the exception of
thiG
. By searching the
B. cereus
genome for this conserved promoter sequence, five more candidate σ
B
-dependent genes were identified. Northern blot analysis and in vitro transcription experiments with a reconstituted
B. cereus
σ
B
-RNA polymerase holoenzyme confirmed the σ
B
dependency of two of these genes and strongly suggested that two other genes, encoding an oligopeptide-binding OppA-like protein and subunit II of the cytochrome
d
ubiquinol oxidase, are also σ
B
dependent. In conclusion, σ
B
of
B. cereus
not only regulates genes directly involved in the stress response but may also control specific metabolic rearrangements.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Molecular Biology,Microbiology
Cited by
25 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献