Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1993 Apr;175(7):1929–1935. doi: 10.1128/jb.175.7.1929-1935.1993

The sigma B-dependent promoter of the Bacillus subtilis sigB operon is induced by heat shock.

A K Benson 1, W G Haldenwang 1
PMCID: PMC204264  PMID: 8458834

Abstract

sigma B, a secondary sigma factor of Bacillus subtilis, was found to increase 5- to 10-fold when cultures were shifted from 37 to 48 degrees C. Western blot (immunoblot) analyses, in which monoclonal antibodies specific for the sigB operon products RsbV, RsbW, and sigma B were used to probe extracts from wild-type and mutant B. subtilis strains, revealed that all three proteins increased coordinately after heat shock and that this increase was dependent on sigma B but not RsbV, a positive regulator normally essential for sigma B-dependent sigB expression. Nuclease protection experiments of RNA synthesized after heat shock supported the notion that the shift to 48 degrees C enhanced transcription from the sigB operon's sigma B-dependent promoter. The level of mRNA initiating at the sigma B-dependent ctc promoter was also seen to increase approximately 5- to 10-fold after heat shock. Pulse-labeling of the proteins synthesized after a shift to 48 degrees C demonstrated that sigB wild-type and mutant strains produced the major heat-inducible proteins in similar amounts; however, at least seven additional proteins were present after the temperature shift in the wild-type strain but absent in the sigB null mutant. Thus, although sigma B is not required for the expression of essential heat shock genes, it is activated by heat shock to elevate its own synthesis and possibly the synthesis of several other heat-inducible proteins.

Full text

PDF
1929

Images in this article

1930Image
on p.1930
1931Image
on p.1931
1931Image
on p.1931
1932Image
on p.1932
1933Image
on p.1933
1933Image
on p.1933
1934Image
on p.1934

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arnosti D. N., Singer V. L., Chamberlin M. J. Characterization of heat shock in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1986 Dec;168(3):1243–1249. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.3.1243-1249.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benson A. K., Haldenwang W. G. Characterization of a regulatory network that controls sigma B expression in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1992 Feb;174(3):749–757. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.3.749-757.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Binnie C., Lampe M., Losick R. Gene encoding the sigma 37 species of RNA polymerase sigma factor from Bacillus subtilis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Aug;83(16):5943–5947. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.16.5943. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Boylan S. A., Rutherford A., Thomas S. M., Price C. W. Activation of Bacillus subtilis transcription factor sigma B by a regulatory pathway responsive to stationary-phase signals. J Bacteriol. 1992 Jun;174(11):3695–3706. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.11.3695-3706.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Boylan S. A., Thomas M. D., Price C. W. Genetic method to identify regulons controlled by nonessential elements: isolation of a gene dependent on alternate transcription factor sigma B of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1991 Dec;173(24):7856–7866. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.24.7856-7866.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Duncan M. L., Kalman S. S., Thomas S. M., Price C. W. Gene encoding the 37,000-dalton minor sigma factor of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase: isolation, nucleotide sequence, chromosomal locus, and cryptic function. J Bacteriol. 1987 Feb;169(2):771–778. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.2.771-778.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Grossman A. D., Erickson J. W., Gross C. A. The htpR gene product of E. coli is a sigma factor for heat-shock promoters. Cell. 1984 Sep;38(2):383–390. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90493-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Grossman A. D., Straus D. B., Walter W. A., Gross C. A. Sigma 32 synthesis can regulate the synthesis of heat shock proteins in Escherichia coli. Genes Dev. 1987 Apr;1(2):179–184. doi: 10.1101/gad.1.2.179. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Haldenwang W. G., Lang N., Losick R. A sporulation-induced sigma-like regulatory protein from B. subtilis. Cell. 1981 Feb;23(2):615–624. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90157-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Haldenwang W. G., Losick R. A modified RNA polymerase transcribes a cloned gene under sporulation control in Bacillus subtilis. Nature. 1979 Nov 15;282(5736):256–260. doi: 10.1038/282256a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Igo M. M., Losick R. Regulation of a promoter that is utilized by minor forms of RNA polymerase holoenzyme in Bacillus subtilis. J Mol Biol. 1986 Oct 20;191(4):615–624. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(86)90449-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Igo M., Lampe M., Ray C., Schafer W., Moran C. P., Jr, Losick R. Genetic studies of a secondary RNA polymerase sigma factor in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1987 Aug;169(8):3464–3469. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.8.3464-3469.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kalman S., Duncan M. L., Thomas S. M., Price C. W. Similar organization of the sigB and spoIIA operons encoding alternate sigma factors of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase. J Bacteriol. 1990 Oct;172(10):5575–5585. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.10.5575-5585.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Konyecsni W. M., Deretic V. DNA sequence and expression analysis of algP and algQ, components of the multigene system transcriptionally regulating mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: algP contains multiple direct repeats. J Bacteriol. 1990 May;172(5):2511–2520. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.5.2511-2520.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Li M., Wong S. L. Cloning and characterization of the groESL operon from Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1992 Jun;174(12):3981–3992. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.12.3981-3992.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sanger F., Nicklen S., Coulson A. R. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5463–5467. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Spizizen J. TRANSFORMATION OF BIOCHEMICALLY DEFICIENT STRAINS OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS BY DEOXYRIBONUCLEATE. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1958 Oct 15;44(10):1072–1078. doi: 10.1073/pnas.44.10.1072. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Tilly K., Erickson J., Sharma S., Georgopoulos C. Heat shock regulatory gene rpoH mRNA level increases after heat shock in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1986 Dec;168(3):1155–1158. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.3.1155-1158.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Tilly K., Spence J., Georgopoulos C. Modulation of stability of the Escherichia coli heat shock regulatory factor sigma. J Bacteriol. 1989 Mar;171(3):1585–1589. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.3.1585-1589.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Trempy J. E., Morrison-Plummer J., Haldenwang W. G. Synthesis of sigma 29, an RNA polymerase specificity determinant, is a developmentally regulated event in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1985 Jan;161(1):340–346. doi: 10.1128/jb.161.1.340-346.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Truitt C. L., Ray G. L., Trempy J. E., Da-Jian Z., Haldenwang W. G. Isolation of Bacillus subtilis mutants altered in expression of a gene transcribed in vitro by a minor form of RNA polymerase (E-sigma 37). J Bacteriol. 1985 Feb;161(2):515–522. doi: 10.1128/jb.161.2.515-522.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Truitt C. L., Weaver E. A., Haldenwang W. G. Effects on growth and sporulation of inactivation of a Bacillus subtilis gene (ctc) transcribed in vitro by minor vegetative cell RNA polymerases (E-sigma 37, E-sigma 32). Mol Gen Genet. 1988 Apr;212(1):166–171. doi: 10.1007/BF00322460. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Yanisch-Perron C., Vieira J., Messing J. Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19 vectors. Gene. 1985;33(1):103–119. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(85)90120-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Zhou Y. N., Kusukawa N., Erickson J. W., Gross C. A., Yura T. Isolation and characterization of Escherichia coli mutants that lack the heat shock sigma factor sigma 32. J Bacteriol. 1988 Aug;170(8):3640–3649. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.8.3640-3649.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES