title: Forespore-specific expression of Bacillus subtilis yqfS, which encodes type IV apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease, a component of the base excision repair pathway.
abstract: The temporal and spatial expression of the yqfS gene of Bacillus subtilis, which encodes a type IV apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease, was studied. A reporter gene fusion to the yqfS opening reading frame revealed that this gene is not transcribed during vegetative growth but is transcribed during the last steps of the sporulation process and is localized to the developing forespore compartment. In agreement with these results, yqfS mRNAs were mainly detected by both Northern blotting and reverse transcription-PCR, during the last steps of sporulation. The expression pattern of the yqfS-lacZ fusion suggested that yqfS may be an additional member of the Esigma(G) regulon. A primer extension product mapped the transcriptional start site of yqfS, 54 to 55 bp upstream of translation start codon of yqfS. Such an extension product was obtained from RNA samples of sporulating cells but not from those of vegetatively growing cells. Inspection of the nucleotide sequence lying upstream of the in vivo-mapped transcriptional yqfS start site revealed the presence of a sequence with good homology to promoters preceding genes of the sigma(G) regulon. Although yqfS expression was temporally regulated, neither oxidative damage (after either treatment with paraquat or hydrogen peroxide) nor mitomycin C treatment induced the transcription of this gene.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Investigation in Experimental Biology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Gto. 36060, Mexico.
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Urtiz-Estrada
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Salas-Pacheco
authors.forename: Ronald E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Yasbin
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pedraza-Reyes
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D019757:Carbon-Oxygen Lyases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004260:DNA Repair; D043603:DNA-(Apurinic or Apyrimidinic Site) Lyase; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D013014:SOS Response, Genetics; D012808:Sigma Factor; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D013481:Superoxides / Q000494:pharmacology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012808:Sigma Factor; D013481:Superoxides; D019757:Carbon-Oxygen Lyases; D043603:DNA-(Apurinic or Apyrimidinic Site) Lyase