title: A novel regulatory protein governing biofilm formation in Bacillus subtilis.
abstract: Production of an extracellular matrix is a hallmark of biofilm formation. In the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis, the matrix consists of an exopolysaccharide, which is specified by the epsA-O operon, and a secreted protein TasA, which is encoded by the yqxM-sipW-tasA operon. Past and present evidence establish that the epsA-O and yqxM-sipW-tasA operons are controlled by the repressor proteins SinR and AbrB. Here, we report the identification of a novel regulatory protein Slr that promotes transcription of the yqxM-sipW-tasA operon but is not needed for expression of the epsA-O operon. We further show that the gene for Slr is itself under the negative control of SinR and AbrB. These findings reveal that matrix production is governed by an intricate network involving the interplay of negatively and positively acting regulatory proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kearns
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McLoon
authors.forename: Yunrong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kolter
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Losick
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D009876:Operon / Q000235:genetics*; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; C119938:TasA protein, Bacillus subtilis; D014157:Transcription Factors; C085953:exopolysaccharide, Bacillus