title: Anaerobic growth of Bacillus subtilis alters the spectrum of spontaneous mutations in the rpoB gene leading to rifampicin resistance.
abstract: Spontaneous rifampicin-resistant (RFM(R)) mutants were isolated from Bacillus subtilis 168 cultivated in the presence or absence of oxygen. By DNA sequencing, the mutations were located within Cluster I of the rpoB gene encoding the β subunit of RNA polymerase. The spectrum of RFM(R) rpoB mutations isolated from B. subtilis cells grown anaerobically differed from aerobically grown cells, not only with respect to the location of mutations within Cluster I but also in the class of mutation observed (transition versus transversion). In the absence of RFM, RFM(R) mutants exhibited poorer growth under anaerobic conditions than did the wild-type strain, indicating their lower fitness in the absence of antibiotic selection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Space Life Sciences Laboratory, University of Florida, 505 Odyssey Way, Room 201-B, Exploration Park at Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL 32953, USA WLN@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Wayne L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Space Life Sciences Laboratory, University of Florida, 505 Odyssey Way, Room 201-B, Exploration Park at Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL 32953, USA.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D009154:Mutation; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D012293:Rifampin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D010100:Oxygen; D012293:Rifampin
keywords: Bacillus subtilis; RNA polymerase; anaerobiosis; rifampicin; rpoB; spontaneous mutations