title: Self-regulation of exopolysaccharide production in Bacillus subtilis by a tyrosine kinase.
abstract: We report that the Bacillus subtilis exopolysaccharide (EPS) is a signaling molecule that controls its own production. EPS synthesis depends on a tyrosine kinase that consists of a membrane component (EpsA) and a kinase component (EpsB). EPS interacts with the extracellular domain of EpsA, which is a receptor, to control kinase activity. In the absence of EPS, the kinase is inactivated by autophosphorylation. The presence of EPS inhibits autophosphorylation and instead promotes the phosphorylation of a glycosyltransferase in the biosynthetic pathway, thereby stimulating the production of EPS. Thus, EPS production is subject to a positive feedback loop that ties its synthesis to its own concentration. Tyrosine kinase-mediated self-regulation could be a widespread feature of the control of exopolysaccharide production in bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander K W
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Elsholz
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wacker
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA losick@mcb.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Losick
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018441:Biofilms; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; C085953:exopolysaccharide, Bacillus; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
keywords: biofilm; exopolysaccharide; tyrosine kinase
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