title: Interactive regulation by the Bacillus subtilis global regulators CodY and ScoC.
abstract: CodY and ScoC are Bacillus subtilis transcriptional regulators that control the expression of dozens of genes and operons. Using scoC-lacZ fusions and DNA-binding experiments, we show here that scoC is directly repressed by CodY. This effect creates multiple forms of cascade regulation. For instance, expression of the dtpT gene, which is directly and negatively controlled by ScoC and encodes a putative oligopeptide permease, was activated indirectly by CodY due to CodY-mediated repression of scoC. The opp operon, which encodes an oligopeptide permease that is essential for sporulation and genetic competence development, proved to be a direct target of repression by both ScoC and CodY but was not significantly affected in codY or scoC single mutants. The combined actions of CodY and ScoC maintain opp repression when either one of the regulators loses activity but limit the level of repression to that provided by one of the regulators acting alone. Under conditions of nitrogen limitation, repression by ScoC of dtpT and opp was partly prevented by TnrA. Thus, the functioning of ScoC is determined by other transcription factors via modulation of its expression or DNA binding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Boris R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Belitsky
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie 'Lazzaro Spallanzani', Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie 'Lazzaro Spallanzani', Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Albertini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie 'Lazzaro Spallanzani', Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Maryland Dental School, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Strauch
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Abraham L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sonenshein
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D009876:Operon; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D050436:Regulatory Elements, Transcriptional; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C442131:ScoC protein, Bacillus subtilis; D014157:Transcription Factors