AEM
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Klein, C
Right arrow Articles by Entian, K D
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Klein, C
Right arrow Articles by Entian, K D
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Klein, C
Right arrow Articles by Entian, K D

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 August; 60(8): 2793-2801

Genes involved in self-protection against the lantibiotic subtilin produced by Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633.

C Klein and K D Entian

Institute for Microbiology, Biozentrum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Federal Republic of Germany.

ABSTRACT

Subtilin is a ribosomally synthesized peptide antibiotic produced by Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633. Recently, we reported regarding genes spaB, spaT, and spaC (C. Klein, C. Kaletta, N. Schnell, and K.-D. Entian, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58:132-142, 1992) which are involved in the biosynthesis of subtilin, and genes spaR and spaK (C. Klein, C. Kaletta, and K.-D. Entian, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:296-303, 1993), which regulate subtilin biosynthesis via a histidine kinase/response regulator system. Further sequence analysis revealed the presence of three additional open reading frames, spaI, spaF, and spaG, downstream of the structural gene spaS. The spaI gene encodes a hydrophilic 19.3-kDa lipoprotein containing a consensus signal sequence, indicating that this protein might be membrane anchored. A similar gene, nisI, has been identified in the nisin producer. SpaF shows strong homology to members of the family of ABC transporters. spaG encodes a hydrophobic protein which might form the active transporter together with SpaF. Gene disruption mutants in all three genes were still able to produce subtilin; however, these mutants were more sensitive to subtilin than the wild-type strain. These results show that these genes are involved in the immunity mechanism of the producer strain. A similar involvement of an ABC transporter in the self-protection mechanism has been described for the McbE and McbF transporter, which confers immunity against microcin B17 in Escherichia coli. Mutants containing mutations in the genes spaR and spaK, which are responsible for regulation of subtilin biosynthesis, also became more sensitive to subtilin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 August; 60(8): 2793-2801




This article has been cited by other articles:



Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
J. Bacteriol. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. Eukaryot. Cell All ASM Journals

Copyright © 1994 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.