The Isolation and Characterization of Mutants of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis with Disturbed Morphology and Cell Division

Rogers, H. J.; McConnell, Moyra M.; Burdett, I. D. J.

doi:10.1099/00221287-61-2-155

Cited by 79 publications

(58 citation statements)

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“…The wild-type strain used in this study was PY79, the prototrophic derivative of PY78 (43). Strains 1A292 (divIVB1 metBS thyAl thyBI) (29) and 1A485 (rodBl leuA8) (32) (7,18), and resulting Spo+ colonies were screened for minicell production and competence. One such Spo+ MinCom+ transformant was designated PL9.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Immediately upstream of and cotranscribed with minC and minD are three genes whose products are homologs of the E. coli shape-determining genes mreB, mreC, and mreD. The mre genes are the site of the previously identified rodBl mutation, which causes the production of aberrantly shaped cells under restrictive conditions (32). We discuss the possible role for B. subtilis minC and minD in the regulation of asymmetric septation during sporulation.…”

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Identification of Bacillus subtilis genes for septum placement and shape determination

et al. 1992

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The Bacilus subtilis divIVBI mutation causes aberrant positioning of the septum during cell division, resulting in the formation of small, anucleate cells known as minicells. We report the cloning of the wild-type allele of divIVBI and show that the mutation lies within a stretch of DNA containing two open reading frames whose predicted products are in part homologous to the products of the Escherichia coli minicell genes minC and minD. Just upstream of minC and minD, and in the same orientation, are three genes whose products are homologous to the products of the E. coli shape-determining genes mreB, mreC, and mreD. The B. subtilis mreB, mreC, and mreD genes are the site of a conditional mutation (rodBI) that causes the production of aberrantly shaped cells under restrictive conditions. Northern (RNA) hybridization experiments and disruption experiments based on the use of integrational plasmids indicate that the mre and min genes constitute a five-cistron operon. The possible involvement of min gene products in the switch from medial to polar placement of the septum during sporulation is discussed.Cells of the gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis are capable of entering an alternative developmental pathway that is characterized by the formation of a transverse septum. During vegetative growth, the formation of a septum at the center of the cell partitions the bacterium into identical daughter cells which separate and undergo further cycles of binary fission. The hallmark of the process of sporulation, in contrast, is the formation of a septum that is sited near one pole of the cell. This asymmetrically positioned septum partitions the bacterium into unequal-sized cellular compartments, of which one, the forespore, undergoes metamorphosis into a spore and the other, the mother cell, participates in the formation of the spore but is eventually discarded by lysis. The binary fission septum and the sporulation septum are produced by similar processes (17), involving in both cases the action of B. subtilis homologs to the Escherichia coli septation genes ftsA and ftsZ (2, 3). However, little is known about the mechanisms that govern the alternative placement of the septa at medial or polar positions within the cell.In the non-spore-forming bacterium E. coli, placement of the septum is governed by genes at the minB locus. Cells of E. coli grow by binary fission and are normally capable of producing only medially sited septa. However, certain mutations at the minB locus allow septa to form at a polar position, thereby generating small, anucleate cells with intact cell walls and membranes which except for their lack of DNA appear to be metabolically normal (1). Minicell production occurs as an alternative to normal division, and consequently, the sister cell is filamentous and carries two or more copies of the chromosome. Because the minicell division process appears to be identical to that of the wild type, the defect is apparently with site selection and not with septum formation. As with sporulation in B....

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Section: Methodsmentioning

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Identification of Bacillus subtilis genes for septum placement and shape determination

et al. 1992

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“…rodC mutants of Bacillus subtilis were first isolated and described by Rogers (19,26). The initial characterizations of the rodCl mutant suggested this gene might be involved in cell division, since the mutant was temperature sensitive, forming normal-shaped rods at 30°C and cocci at 45°C (19,26).…”

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“…The initial characterizations of the rodCl mutant suggested this gene might be involved in cell division, since the mutant was temperature sensitive, forming normal-shaped rods at 30°C and cocci at 45°C (19,26). However, recent mapping data of Karamata and colleagues indicated that the rodC operon is involved in teichoic acid synthesis and, more specifically, mapped to a region of the chromosome where the determinants for enzymes involved in the glucosylation of teichoic acids reside (19,24).…”

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“…Not only do these polymers constitute bacteriophage receptors, but they also appear to play a role in the binding of magnesium ions and appear to be necessary for the structural stability of the cell wall (2-5, 9, 20, 26, 28, 30). However, under conditions of phosphate limitation, cells with teichoic acid in their walls will synthesize another negatively charged polymer, teichuronic acid, to replace the teichoic acid (2,5,9,26,28). Teichuronic acid, unlike teichoic acid, does not have a phosphate-rich backbone.…”

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Role and expression of the Bacillus subtilis rodC operon

Wagner

Stewart

1991

J Bacteriol

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The role of the rodC operon in Bacillus subtilis was investigated. The operon encodes two genes (rodD and rodC) necessary for the synthesis of the cell wall teichoic acid. Transcription of this operon is responsive to levels of phosphate and to concentrations of magnesium ions in the growth medium. This regulation of mRNA production corresponds to conditions that dictate the type of polymer that will be synthesized for the cell wall, i.e., teichoic or teichuronic acid. While the introduction of multiple copies of rodC was tolerated by the cells, multiple copies of rodD appeared to be lethal. The lethality of the rodD fragment was not exhibited if multiple copies of rodC were also present.

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Teichoic and Teichuronic Acids from Gram‐Positive Bacteria

et al. 2002

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Introduction Historical Outline Chemical Structures Cell Wall Teichoic Acid Teichuronic Acids Biosynthesis and Genetics of Poly(GroP) Polymerizing Enzyme System for Poly(Glycerol Phosphate) Teichoic Acid The Genetic Basis of the Biosynthesis of the Soluble Precursors Transcriptional Regulation of Wall Teichoic Acid Genes in B. subtilis 168 Biosynthesis and Genetics of Poly (3‐ O ‐β‐D‐Glucopyranosyl N‐Acetylgalactosamine 1‐Phosphate) Genetic and Biochemical Analysis of Mutants Genes Involved in Synthesis of Soluble Precursors UDPGalNAc Genetics of Polymerizing Enzyme System Biosynthesis and Genetics of the B. subtilis 168 Cell Wall Teichuronic Acids Biodegradation Biological Roles Associated with Cell Wall Teichoic and Teichuronic Acids Horizontal Transfer of Genes for Wall Teichoic Acid Synthesis Role of the D‐Alanine Substituent of Wall Teichoic Acid and of the Overall Cell Wall Negative Charge The pH Gradient Across the Cell Wall Cell Wall Teichoic Acid and Upkeep of the Cell Shape Applications

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The Isolation and Characterization of Mutants of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis with Disturbed Morphology and Cell Division

Cited by 79 publications

References 8 publications

Identification of Bacillus subtilis genes for septum placement and shape determination

Identification of Bacillus subtilis genes for septum placement and shape determination

Role and expression of the Bacillus subtilis rodC operon

Teichoic and Teichuronic Acids from Gram‐Positive Bacteria

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