Levels of cell wall enzymes in endospores and vegetative cells of Bacillus subtilis

Vegetative bacilli and refractile endospores of Bacillus subtilis 168 were disrupted by homogenization with glass beads and fractionated by differential centrifugation. Most of the protein of endospores was particulate, whereas for bacilli most was soluble. Alanine racemase activity was sixfold higher in extract of endospores than in extract of bacilli and was particulate, whereas the enzyme from bacilli was soluble. The specific activities of seven other enzymes involved in peptidoglycan and teichoic acid biosynthesis were higher in extracts of bacilli than in those of endospores. The results suggest that restoration of activities of these seven enzymes to vegetative levels occurs during germination and outgrowth.     

Peptidoglycan hydrolase LytF plays a role in cell separation with CwlF during vegetative growth of Bacillus subtilis.

Peptidoglycan hydrolase, LytF (CwlE), was determined to be identical to YhdD (deduced cell wall binding protein) by zymography after insertional inactivation of the yhdD gene. YhdD exhibits high sequence similarity with CwlF (PapQ, LytE) and p60 of Listeria monocytogenes. The N-terminal region of YhdD has a signal sequence followed by five tandem repeated regions containing polyserine residues. The C-terminal region corresponds to the catalytic domain, because a truncated protein without the N-terminal region retained cell wall hydrolase activity. The histidine-tagged LytF protein produced in Escherichia coli cells hydrolyzed the linkage of D-gamma-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid in murein peptides, indicating that it is a D,L-endopeptidase. Northern hybridization and primer extension analyses indicated that the lytF gene was transcribed by EsigmaD RNA polymerase. Disruption of lytF led to slightly filamentous cells, and a lytF cwlF double mutant exhibited extraordinary microfiber formation, which is similar to the cell morphology of the cwlF sigD mutant.     

Sporulation promoting factor in vegetative cells of Bacillus subtilis

A simple experimental system for detection of sporulation promoting factors was presented. This system showed that there was a sporulation promoting factor in the vegetative cells of Bacillus subtilis cultivated on nutrient agar for 9 hr (at stage T0). The factor was partially purified from the sonicate of vegetative cells by ethanol fractionation, gel filtration, chromatography and preparative gel electrophoresis, and it was identified as manganese-containing protein.     

D-Tyrosine as a metabolic inhibitor of Bacillus subtilis

The d-isomer of tyrosine is a potent inhibitor of growth in transformable strain 168 of Bacillus subtilis. A d-tyrosine-resistant mutant of the inhibited strain was isolated which excreted l-tyrosine, had a diminished growth rate, and required l-phenylalanine to attain the growth rate of the wild-type parent. Mapping by deoxyribonucleate transformation located this resistance in the gene coding for prephenate dehydrogenase. This enzyme in the d-tyrosine-resistant mutant was insensitive to the usual feedback inhibition exerted by l-tyrosine in extracts of strain 168. In contrast, the growth of poorly transformable strain 23 of B. subtilis, as well as that of several other Bacillus species, was not affected by the analogue. Transformation mapping demonstrated no linkage of this latter "natural resistance" to several different aromatic markers. Prephenate dehydrogenase in extracts from strain 23 was as sensitive as that from strain 168 to feedback inhibition by l-tyrosine in vitro. The relationships of the latter results to the regulation of tyrosine biosynthesis and the possible nature of strain differences in d-tyrosine sensitivity are discussed.     

Early-blocked sporulation mutations alter expression of enzymes under carbon control in Bacillus subtilis

Summary The physiological roles of the gene subset defined by early-blocked sporulation mutations (spo0) and their second-site suppressor alleles (rvtA11 and crsA47) remain cryptic for both vegetative and sporulating Bacillus subtilis cells. To test the hypothesis that spo0 gene products affect global regulation, we assayed the levels of carbon- and nitrogen-sensitive enzymes in wild-type and spo0 strains grown in a defined minimal medium containing various carbon and nitrogen sources. All the spo0 mutations (except spo0J) affected both histidase and arabinose isomerase levels in an unexpected way: levels of both carbon-sensitive enzymes were two- to six-fold higher in spo0 strains compared to wild type, when cells were grown on the derepressing carbon sources arabinose or maltose. There was no difference in enzyme levels with glucose-grown cells, nor was there a significant difference in levels of the carbonindependent enzymes glutamine synthetase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. This effect was not due to a slower growth rate for the spo0 mutants on the poor carbon and nitrogen sources used. The levels of carbon-sensitive enzymes were not simply correlated with sporulation ability in genetically suppressed spo0 mutants, but the rvtA and crsA suppressors each had such marked effects on wild-type growth and enzyme levels that these results were difficult to interpret. We conclude that directly or indirectly the spo0 mutations, although blocking the sporulation process, increase levels of carbon-sensitive enzymes, possibly at the level of gene expression.     

Solution Structure of IseA,an Inhibitor Protein of dl-Endopeptidases from Bacillus subtilis,Reveals a Novel Fold with a Characteristic Inhibitory Loop

In Bacillus subtilis, LytE, LytF, CwlS, and CwlO are vegetative autolysins, dl-endopeptidases in the NlpC/P60 family, and play essential roles in cell growth and separation. IseA (YoeB) is a proteinaceous inhibitor against the dl-endopeptidases, peptidoglycan hydrolases. Overexpression of IseA caused significantly long chained cell morphology, because IseA inhibits the cell separation dl-endopeptidases post-translationally. Here, we report the first three-dimensional structure of IseA, determined by NMR spectroscopy. The structure includes a single domain consisting of three α-helices, one 3₁₀-helix, and eight β-strands, which is a novel fold like a “hacksaw.” Noteworthy is a dynamic loop between β4 and the 3₁₀-helix, which resembles a “blade.” The electrostatic potential distribution shows that most of the surface is positively charged, but the region around the loop is negatively charged. In contrast, the LytF active-site cleft is expected to be positively charged. NMR chemical shift perturbation of IseA interacting with LytF indicated that potential interaction sites are located around the loop. Furthermore, the IseA mutants D100K/D102K and G99P/G101P at the loop showed dramatic loss of inhibition activity against LytF, compared with wild-type IseA, indicating that the β4–3₁₀ loop plays an important role in inhibition. Moreover, we built a complex structure model of IseA-LytF by docking simulation, suggesting that the β4–3₁₀ loop of IseA gets stuck deep in the cleft of LytF, and the active site is occluded. These results suggest a novel inhibition mechanism of the hacksaw-like structure, which is different from known inhibitor proteins, through interactions around the characteristic loop regions with the active-site cleft of enzymes.     

Proton motive force may regulate cell wall-associated enzymes of Bacillus subtilis.

Bacterial metabolism excretes protons during normal metabolic processes. The protons may be recycled by chemiosmosis, diffuse through the wall into the medium, or bind to cell surface constituents. Calculations by Koch (J. Theor. Biol. 120:73-84, 1986) have suggested that the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria may serve as a reservoir of protons during growth and metabolism, causing the wall to have a relatively low pH. That the cell wall may possess a pH lower than the surrounding medium has now been tested in Bacillus subtilis by several independent experiments. When cultures of B. subtilis were treated with the proton conductors azide and carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, the cells bound larger amounts of positively charged probes, including the chromium (Cr3+) and uranyl (UO2(2+) ions and were readily agglutinated by cationized ferritin. In contrast, the same proton conductors caused a decrease in the binding of the negatively charged probe chromate (CrO4(2-)). Finally, when levansucrase was induced in cultures by the addition of sucrose, the enzyme was inactive as it traversed the wall during the first 0.7 to 1.0 generation of growth. The composite interpretation of the foregoing observations suggests that the wall is positively charged during metabolism, thereby decreasing its ability to complex with cations while increasing its ability to bind with anions. This may be one reason why some enzymes, such as autolysins, are unable to hydrolyze their substrata until they reach the wall periphery or are in the medium.     

Nitrogen assimilation enzymes in Bacillus subtilis mutants with hyperproduction of riboflavin

Three groups of the nitrogen assimilation cycle enzymes (glutamate synthases (GTS), glutamine synthases (GS), and glutamate dehydrogenases (GD)) were studied in Bacillus subtilis strains with hyperproduction of riboflavin (vitamin B2). It was found that in all strains tested activity of GS was virtually the same, activity of GD was absent, and activity of GTS was reduced. In strains 41 and 24, riboflavin producers, activity of GTS was 30-60% the enzyme activity in the original strain (wild-type RosR). The most pronounced decrease in the activity of GTS (0-12% relative to RosR) was observed in the strain AS5, which had the highest level of biosynthetic activity relative to the other strains. According to the results of determination of the sensitivity of induction of beta-xylosidase to glucose- and fructose-induced catabolic repression, none of the strains studied was characterized by disorders in the protein CcpA, a global regulator of the catabolic repression in gram-positive bacteria, which is required for reducing amination and resulting activation of biosynthesis of glutamic acid in cell. It was suggested that mutations responsible for partial or complete inhibition of GTS biosynthesis caused an increase in the intracellular pool of glutamine. The intracellular pool of glutamine is a nitrogen source for riboflavin in cell. It follows from the results of this work that there is a trend toward an increase in the rate of biosynthesis of vitamin B2 in mutants with inhibited GTS activity. However, the complexity of the processes of regulation of nitrogen assimilation enzymes makes it difficult to find a distinct correlation between GTS activity and riboflavin biosynthesis in these strains.     

Presence of proteins derived from the vegetative cell membrane in the dormant spore coat of Bacillus subtilis

To confirm the presence of the outer spore membrane in dormant spore coats of Bacillus subtilis, the proteins from vegetative cell membrane and dormant spore coat fractions were compared by immunoblot assay with antibodies prepared against both preparations. The spore coat fraction contained at least 11 proteins antigenically identical to those in the vegetative cell membranes. Further, the cytochemical localization of the proteins derived from vegetative cell membrane in dormant spores was examined by an immunoelectron microscopy method with a colloidal gold-immunoglobulin G complex. The colloidal gold particles were observed in the coat region and around the core region of dormant spore. These results have provided evidence that some proteins from vegetative cell membrane remain in the dormant spore coat region of B. subtilis, although it is not clear whether the outer membrane persists as an intact functional entity or not.     

Production of fungal cell wall degrading enzymes by a biocontrol strain of Bacillus subtilis AF 1

Fungal cell wall degrading chitinases and glucanases attained significance in agriculture, medicine, and environment management. The present study was conducted to describe the optimum conditions required for the production of beta-1,4-N-acetyl glucosaminidase (NAGase) and beta-1,3-glucanase by a biocontrol strain of Bacillus subtilis AF 1. B. subtilis AF 1 was grown in minimal medium with colloidal chitin (3.0%) and yeast extract (0.3% YE ) and incubated at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C on constant shaker at 180 rpm for 6 days produced highest amounts of NAGase. Presence of 0.5 mM of phenyl methyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and 0.04% of Tween 20 further improved the enzyme production. B. subtilis AF 1 grown in minimal medium with laminarin (1%) and yeast extract (0.3%) for 3 days produced maximum amount of beta-1,3-glucanase. These conditions can be further scaled-up for large-scale production of NAGase and beta-1,3-glucanase by B. subtilis AF 1.     

Restoration of vegetative penicillin-binding proteins during germination and outgrowth of Bacillus subtilis spores: relationship of individual proteins to specific cell cycle events.

The order in which the vegetative penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) are first synthesized and the rate of their return to normal levels during germination and outgrowth of Bacillus subtilis spores were determined. The rate of synthesis of most of the PBPs was much faster than that of the majority of other membrane proteins, which is consistent with the involvement of PBPs in biosynthesis of the rapidly expanding peptidoglycan. The pattern of PBP changes that occurred during the cell cycle, including sporulation, suggests a likely role for PBP 2A in cell elongation and a unique requirement for PBP 2B during both symmetric and asymmetric septum formation. PBP 3 is the only PBP that appears to be equally necessary for vegetative and cortical peptidoglycan synthesis.     

Identification of specific restriction fragments associated with a membrane subparticle from Bacillus subtilis

When lysates of Bacillus subtilis were treated with restriction endonucleases EcoRI or HindIII, almost all of the DNA was released from the major plasma membrane fraction that was sedimentable at low speed. However, a very small part of the released DNA, when centrifuged at high speed, appeared to be bound to small membrane fragments. On agarose gels, this material, prepared with either enzyme, contained only a small number of restriction fragments, and the DNA in the sample hybridized with 11 to 12 EcoRI or HindIII fragments of chromosomal DNA. This DNA was used after nick-translation to screen Charon 4A clone banks for phages containing membrane-bound fragments. One of these was studied in detail. Only a part (about 5 kilobases) of the region present in this clone is important in binding the DNA to the membrane subparticle.