title: Ancestral sporulation initiation.
abstract: Members of the classes Bacilli and Clostridia are able to form endospores, with clostridia representing the ancestral phylogenetic line. In contrast to Bacillus subtilis, the process of sporulation initiation at the molecular level is less well understood in Clostridium acetobutylicum, the model organism of the clostridia. Especially the question of how the master regulator of sporulation, Spo0A, becomes phosphorylated, remained unsolved so far. Steiner et al. now provide compelling genetic and biochemical evidence for two different pathways of direct phosphorylation of Spo0A in C. acetobutylicum by three orphan sensor kinases. Cac0903 and Cac3319 act together, while the other pathway is only dependent on Cac0323. Abortion of sporulation initiation can be achieved by a kinase-like protein, Cac0437.
authors: Institut für Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Universität Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany. peter.duerre@uni-ulm.de
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Dürre
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000254:growth & development*; D046969:Clostridium acetobutylicum / Q000254:growth & development*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D008954:Models, Biological; D010766:Phosphorylation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000254:growth & development*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors