title: The response of a Bacillus subtilis temperature-sensitive sigA mutant to heat stress.
abstract: The mutant sigA allele of Bacillus subtilis DB1005 was confirmed to be temperature sensitive (ts) and transferable among strains of B. subtilis by chromosomal transformation and gene conversion. This ts sigA allele had a pleiotropic effect on gene expression of DB1005. The induction of certain heat shock proteins in DB1005 was markedly less significant than that observed in the wild-type strain (DB2) under heat stress. In contrast, some proteins required for coping with oxidative stress and glucose starvation were induced abruptly in DB1005 but not in DB2. Heat induction of the groEL gene in vivo at both transcription and translation levels was much lower in DB1005 than in DB2. Besides, the putative sigma A-type promoter from the groESL operon of B. subtilis was able to be transcribed by the reconstituted sigma A RNA polymerase in vitro at both 37 and 49 degrees C. These results strongly suggest that the expression of the groEL gene of B. subtilis under heat stress is regulated at least in part by sigma A at the level of transcription. Our results also showed that DB1005 did not respond too differently from the wild type to ethanol stress, except after a relatively long exposure.
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Biotechnology Laboratories, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: B Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological / Q000235:genetics; D000483:Alleles; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005785:Gene Conversion; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009876:Operon / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012808:Sigma Factor; D000431:Ethanol; C081775:RNA polymerase sigma 70; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases