D. Frisby et P. Zuber, MUTATIONS IN PTS CAUSE CATABOLITE-RESISTANT SPORULATION AND ALTERED REGULATION OF SPO0H IN BACILLUS-SUBTILIS, Journal of bacteriology, 176(9), 1994, pp. 2587-2595
A mutation in Bacillus subtilis, ggr-31, that relieves glucose-glutami
ne-dependent control of a spoVG-lacZ translational fusion was isolated
and was subsequently found to confer a pleiotropic phenotype. Mutants
cultured in glucose- and glutamine-rich media exhibited a Crs(-) (cat
abolite-resistant sporulation) phenotype; enhanced expression of the s
poOH gene, encoding sigma(H), as evidenced by immunoblot analysis with
anti-sigma(H) antiserum; and derepression of srfA, an operon involved
in surfactin biosynthesis and competence development. In addition, gg
r-31 mutants exhibited a significant increase in generation time when
they were cultured in minimal glucose medium. The mutant phenotype was
restored to the wild type by Campbell integration of a plasmid contai
ning part of the ptsG (encoding the enzyme II/III glucose permease) ge
ne, indicating that the mutation probably resides within ptsG and adve
rsely affects glucose uptake. A deletion mutation within ptsI exhibite
d a phenotype similar to that of ggr-31.