A new catabolic system in Bacillus subtilis involved in utilization of ␤-glucosidic compounds has been investigated. It consists of five genes encoding phosphotransferase system (PTS) enzyme II (licB and licC) and enzyme IIA (licA), a presumed 6-phospho-␤-glucosidase (licH), as well as a putative regulator protein (licR). The genes map around 334؇ of the B. subtilis chromosome, and their products are involved in the uptake and utilization of lichenan degradation products. These five genes are organized in two transcriptional units. A weak promoter precedes gene licR, and transcription is obviously terminated at a secondary structure immediately downstream of the reading frame, as shown by Northern RNA blot analysis. Genes licB, licC, licA, and licH constitute an operon. Initiation of transcription at the promoter in front of this operon presumably requires activation by the gene product of licR. The LicR protein shows an unusual domain structure, i.e., similarities to (i) the conserved transcriptional antiterminator BglG family signature and (ii) PTS enzyme II. Using RNA techniques and transcriptional lacZ fusions, we have shown that the expression of the licBCAH operon is inducible by products of lichenan hydrolysis, lichenan and cellobiose. The presence of excess glucose prevents the induction of this operon, indicating the control by carbon catabolite repression. Moreover, the expression of the operon requires the general PTS components and seems to be negatively controlled by the specific lic PTS enzymes.

The Bacillus subtilis two-dimensional (2D) protein index contains almost all glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes, among them the most abundant housekeeping proteins of growing cells. Therefore, a comprehensive study on the regulation of glycolysis and the TCA cycle was initiated. Whereas expression of genes encoding the upper and lower parts of glycolysis (pgi,pfk, fbaA, and pykA) is not affected by the glucose supply, there is an activation of the glycolytic gap gene and the pgk operon by glucose. This activation seems to be dependent on the global regulator CcpA, as shown by 2D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis as well as by transcriptional analysis. Furthermore, a high glucose concentration stimulates production and excretion of organic acids (overflow metabolism) in the wild type but not in the ccpAmutant. Finally, CcpA is involved in strong glucose repression of almost all TCA cycle genes. In addition to TCA cycle and glycolytic enzymes, the levels of many other proteins are affected by theccpA mutation. Our data suggest (i) that ccpAmutants are unable to activate glycolysis or carbon overflow metabolism and (ii) that CcpA might be a key regulator molecule, controlling a superregulon of glucose catabolism.

A detailed gene expression analysis of industrial-close Bacillus subtilis fed-batch fermentation processes with casamino acids as the only nitrogen source and with a reduced casamino acid concentration but supplemented by ammonia was carried out. Although glutamine and arginine are supposed to be the preferred nitrogen sources of B. subtilis, we demonstrate that a combined feeding of ammonia and casamino acids supports cell growth under fed-batch fermentation conditions. The transcriptome and proteome analyses revealed that the additional feeding of ammonia in combination with a reduced amino acid concentration results in a significantly lower expression level of the glnAR or tnrA genes, coding for proteins, which are mainly involved in the nitrogen metabolism of B. subtilis. However, the mRNA levels of the genes of the ilvBHC-leuABD and hom-thrCB operons were significantly increased, indicating a valine, leucine, isoleucine, and threonine limitation under these fermentation conditions. In contrast, during the fermentation with casamino acids as the only nitrogen source, several genes, which play a crucial role in nitrogen metabolism of B. subtilis (e.g., glnAR, nasCDE, nrgAB, and ureABC), were up-regulated, indicating a nitrogen limitation under these conditions. Furthermore, increased expression of genes, which are involved in motility and chemotaxis (e.g., hag, fliT) and in acetoin metabolism (e.g., acoABCL), was determined during the fermentation with the mixed nitrogen source of casamino acids and ammonia, indicating a carbon limitation under these fermentation conditions. Under high cell density and slow growth rate conditions a weak up-regulation of autolysis genes could be observed as well as the induction of a number of genes involved in motility, chemotaxis and general stress response. Results of this study allowed the selection of marker genes, which could be used for the monitoring of B. subtilis fermentation processes. The data suggest for example acoA as a marker gene for glucose limitation or glnA as an indicator for nitrogen limitation.

The lic operon of Bacillus subtilis is required for the transport and degradation of oligomeric β-glucosides, which are produced by extracellular enzymes on substrates such as lichenan or barley glucan. The licoperon is transcribed from a ςA-dependent promoter and is inducible by lichenan, lichenan hydrolysate, and cellobiose. Induction of the operon requires a DNA sequence with dyad symmetry located immediately upstream of the licBCAH promoter. Expression of the lic operon is positively controlled by the LicR regulator protein, which contains two potential helix-turn-helix motifs, two phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) regulation domains (PRDs), and a domain similar to PTS enzyme IIA (EIIA). The activity of LicR is stimulated by modification (probably phosphorylation) of both PRD-I and PRD-II by the general PTS components and is negatively regulated by modification (probably phosphorylation) of its EIIA domain by the specific EIILic in the absence of oligomeric β-glucosides. This was shown by the analysis oflicR mutants affected in potential phosphorylation sites. Moreover, the lic operon is subject to carbon catabolite repression (CCR). CCR takes place via a CcpA-dependent mechanism and a CcpA-independent mechanism in which the general PTS enzyme HPr is involved.

The knowledge of critical process-relevant genes can be used for an improved control of bioprocesses. So far bioprocess-relevant marker genes can be analyzed by established expression analysis methods only off-line. In this study, an alternative approach for a potential at-line monitoring of gene expression during bioprocesses is suggested. This approach is based on the measurement of specific mRNAs on an electric DNA-chip in connection with a magnetic bead-based sandwich hybridization. In order to allow an at-line measurement of specific mRNAs an improved method for a fast and partially automated isolation of high quality-RNA samples was developed. The expression analysis of the electric DNA-chip was compared with optical DNA micro arrays and the real time RT-PCR for three selected process-relevant genes of Bacillus subtilis. We demonstrate that the mRNA analysis by means of the electric DNA-chip gives similar results compared to the micro array analysis and the real time RT-PCR technique.