title: The Bacillus secretion stress response is an indicator for alpha-amylase production levels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Overproduced alpha-amylases in Bacillus subtilis provoke a specific stress response involving the CssRS two-component system, which controls expression of the HtrA and HtrB proteases. Previously, the B. subtilis TepA protein was implicated in high-level alpha-amylase secretion. Our present studies were aimed at investigating a possible role of TepA in secretion stress management, and characterizing the intensity of the secretion stress response in relation to alpha-amylase production.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of a transcriptional htrB-lacZ gene fusion, and the levels of alpha-amylase production were monitored simultaneously using tepA mutant B. subtilis strains. TepA was shown to be dispensable for secretion stress management. Importantly, however, the levels of htrB-lacZ expression can be correlated with the levels of alpha-amylase production.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our observations show that the secretion stress response can serve as an indicator for alpha-amylase production levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Conceivably, this stress response can be employed to monitor the biotechnological production of various secretory proteins by the Bacillus cell factory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Westers
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Darmon
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zanen
authors.forename: J-W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Veening
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Kuipers
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bron
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Quax
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: van Dijl
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D007763:Lac Operon; D009154:Mutation; D033903:Periplasmic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D033903:Periplasmic Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D000217:Acyltransferases; C118473:LpxL protein, bacteria; D000516:alpha-Amylases; C061682:DegP protease; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases