Bacillus subtilis genes for the utilization of sulfur from aliphatic sulfonates.
A 5 kb region upstream of katA at 82 degrees on the Bacillus subtilis chromosome contains five ORFs organized in an operon-like structure. Based on sequence similarity, three of the ORFs are likely to encode an ABC transport system (ssuBAC) and another to encode a monooxygenase (ssuD). The deduced amino acid sequence of the last ORF (ygaN) shows no similarity to any known protein. B. subtilis can utilize a range of aliphatic sulfonates such as alkanesulfonates, taurine, isethionate and sulfoacetate as a source of sulfur, but not when ssuA and ssuC are disrupted by insertion of a neomycin-resistance gene. Utilization of aliphatic sulfonates was not affected in a strain lacking 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) sulfotransferase, indicating that sulfate is not an intermediate in the assimilation of sulfonate-sulfur. Sulfate or cysteine prevented expression of beta-galactosidase from a transcriptional ssuD::lacZ fusion. It is proposed that ssuBACD encode a system for ATP-dependent transport of alkanesulfonates and an oxygenase required for their desulfonation.
Mikrobiologisches Institut, Swiss Federal Institute of TechnologyETH-Zentrum, CH-8092 ZürichSwitzerland.
Jan R
JR
van der Ploeg
Institute of Food Research, Department of Food Macromolecular Science, Reading LaboratoryEarley Gate, Whiteknights Road, Reading RG6 6BZUK.
Nicola J
NJ
Cummings
Mikrobiologisches Institut, Swiss Federal Institute of TechnologyETH-Zentrum, CH-8092 ZürichSwitzerland.
Thomas
T
Leisinger
Institute of Food Research, Department of Food Macromolecular Science, Reading LaboratoryEarley Gate, Whiteknights Road, Reading RG6 6BZUK.
Ian F
IF
Connerton
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019677:Artificial Gene Fusion; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D007763:Lac Operon; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D009876:Operon; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D013455:Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism*
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; D013455:Sulfur