title: A gene (sleB) encoding a spore cortex-lytic enzyme from Bacillus subtilis and response of the enzyme to L-alanine-mediated germination.
abstract: The Bacillus subtilis sleB gene, which codes for the enzyme homologous to the germination-specific amidase from Bacillus cereus, was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. Sequence analysis showed that it had an open reading frame of 918 bp, coding for a polypeptide of 305 amino acids with a putative signal sequence of 29 residues. Enzyme activity was not found in germination exudate of B. subtilis spores, which differs from the case of B. cereus enzyme. A B. subtilis mutant with an insertionally inactivated sleB gene revealed normal behavior in growth and sporulation. However, the sleB mutant was unable to complete germination mediated by L-alanine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Sciences, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Aichi, Japan. moriyama@nuagr1.agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moriyama
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kudoh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Makino
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000581:Amidohydrolases / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001433:Bacteriolysis; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C101656:SleB protein, Bacillus; D000581:Amidohydrolases; D000409:Alanine