Gene regulation in Bacillus subtilis by the compatible solute glycine betaine
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ABSTRACT: Glycine betaine (GB) is a potent osmoprotectant for salt stressed Bacillus subtilis cells, which possess three high-affinity uptake systems for GB. OpuA is the dominant transporter for this compatible solute. Northern blot analysis, primer extension experiments and opuA-treA reporter gene fusion studies demonstrated that opuA expression is strongly induced at high osmolality from a single SigA-type promoter. Promoter mutations that improve the match of the opuA promoter to the consensus sequence substantially increase basal-level expression but reduce inducibility by high salinity. Expression of opuA is sensitively controlled by GB, which causes significant repression of opuA transcription at low and high salinity. GB influences the kinetics as well as the final level of high salinity induction of opuA in a concentration-dependent fashion. The repressing effect of GB on opuA transcription requires the intracellular presence of GB, regardless whether it is taken up via OpuA or other transporters or synthesized from choline. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of salt-stressed B. subtilis cells demonstrated that the repressive effect of GB targets only a subset of high-salinity induced genes. This group of GB-responsive genes comprises in essence the full set of genes with demonstrated functions in either the uptake or synthesis of compatible solutes. Four different samples (untreated, GB, NaCl, and GB + NaCl treated) were analyzed and each sample was hybridized in triplicate.
ORGANISM(S): Bacillus subtilis
SUBMITTER: Annette Wensing
PROVIDER: E-GEOD-17435 | biostudies-arrayexpress |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress
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