A novel class of heat and secretion stress-responsive genes is controlled by the autoregulated CssRS two-component system of Bacillus subtilis.
Bacteria need dedicated systems that allow appropriate adaptation to the perpetual changes in their environments. In Bacillus subtilis, two HtrA-like proteases, HtrA and HtrB, play critical roles in the cellular response to secretion and heat stresses. Transcription of these genes is induced by the high-level production of a secreted protein or by a temperature upshift. The CssR-CssS two-component regulatory system plays an essential role in this transcriptional activation. Transcription of the cssRS operon is autoregulated and can be induced by secretion stress, by the absence of either HtrA or HtrB, and by heat stress in a HtrA null mutant strain. Two start sites are used for cssRS transcription, only one of which is responsive to heat and secretion stress. The divergently transcribed htrB and cssRS genes share a regulatory region through which their secretion and heat stress-induced expression is linked. This study shows that CssRS-regulated genes represent a novel class of heat-inducible genes, which is referred to as class V and currently includes two genes: htrA and htrB.
Darmon
Elise
E
Department of Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands.
Noone
David
D
Masson
Anne
A
Bron
Sierd
S
Kuipers
Oscar P
OP
Devine
Kevin M
KM
van Dijl
Jan Maarten
JM
D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009876:Operon; D033903:Periplasmic Proteins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D033903:Periplasmic Proteins; C061682:DegP protease; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases