title: Restriction fragments that exert promoter activity during postexponential growth of Bacillus subtilis.
abstract: Two restriction fragments of Bacillus subtilis DNA were identified which caused the cat-86 gene present on the promoter cloning plasmid pPL703 to be activated predominantly during postexponential growth of host cells. The postexponential increase was observed in both sporulation-positive strains and in a spoOA mutant of B. subtilis. However, the postexponential increase in the cat-86 gene product, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, was diminished or not observed when the plasmid-containing cells were grown in the presence of excess glucose. The promoter-containing fragment, designated as 33, was mapped to a site on the B. subtilis chromosome adjacent to hisA. The other fragment, 14, mapped to a site adjacent to ctrA. When present on a high-copy vector, both fragments caused a reduction in the sporulation frequency of host cells. Fragment 33 in high copy number conferred on B. subtilis cells three additional phenotypic changes: brown colony color, intracellular inclusions, and, in a protease-deficient mutant, the production of extracellular protease activity. These activities were observed only in postexponential-phase cultures.
mesh_terms: D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D009876:Operon; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics; D010957:Plasmids
chemical_list: D000123:Acetyltransferases; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases