title: Stress triggers a process that limits activation of the Bacillus subtilis stress transcription factor sigma(B).
abstract: Stress-induced activation of the Bacillus subtilis transcription factor sigma(B) is transitory. To determine whether the process that limits sigma(B) activation is itself triggered by stress, B. subtilis strains in which the stress pathway was artificially activated by the induced expression of a positive regulatory protein (RsbT) were exposed to ethanol stress and were monitored for the persistence of sigma(B) activity. Without ethanol treatment, the induced cultures displayed continuously high sigma(B) activity. Ethanol treatment restricted ongoing sigma(B) activity, but only in strains with intact rsbX and -S genes. The loss of other gene products (RsbR and Obg) known to participate in the stress activation pathway had little influence in blocking the ethanol effect. The data argue that stress upregulates the activity of the RsbX-S regulatory pair to restrict sigma(B) induction following stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Haldenwang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009876:Operon / Q000235:genetics; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C079011:SigB protein, Bacteria; D012808:Sigma Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000431:Ethanol; C119219:RsbT protein, Bacillus subtilis; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D001616:beta-Galactosidase