Three Distinct Phases of Isoprene Formation during Growth and Sporulation of Bacillus subtilis

During growth on a glucose-tryptone medium, Bacillus subtilis 6051 (Marburg strain) exhibited three phases of isoprene (2-methyl-1, 3-butadiene) formation, corresponding to (i) glucose catabolism and secretion of acetoin, (ii) catabolism of acetoin, and (iii) the early stages of sporulation. These results establish an experimental system for studying the biological role of isoprene formation.     

Genes Involved in SkfA Killing Factor Production Protect a Bacillus subtilis Lipase against Proteolysis

Small lipases of Bacillus species, such as LipA from Bacillus subtilis, have a high potential for industrial applications. Recent studies showed that deletion of six AT-rich islands from the B. subtilis genome results in reduced amounts of extracellular LipA. Here we demonstrate that the reduced LipA levels are due to the absence of four genes, skfABCD, located in the prophage 1 region. Intact skfABCD genes are required not only for LipA production at wild-type levels by B. subtilis 168 but also under conditions of LipA overproduction. Notably, SkfA has bactericidal activity and, probably, requires the SkfB to SkfD proteins for its production. The present results show that LipA is more prone to proteolytic degradation in the absence of SkfA and that high-level LipA production can be improved significantly by employing multiple protease-deficient B. subtilis strains. In conclusion, our findings imply that SkfA protects LipA, directly or indirectly, against proteolytic degradation. Conceivably, SkfA could act as a modulator in LipA folding or as a protease inhibitor.     

响应面法优化枯草芽孢杆菌产脂肪酶的合成培养基

对枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)CICC20034利用合成培养基液体发酵产脂肪酶的条件进行了优化。首先采用单因子实验筛选出最适诱导剂为三丁酸甘油酯,氮源为尿素,碳源为葡萄糖,无机盐为MgSO4。在此基础上,利用Plackett-Burman设计对影响产酶因素的效应进行评价,筛选出具有显著效应的三丁酸甘油酯、尿素、KH2PO4和培养基起始pH值4个最显著的因素。用最陡爬坡路径逼近最大产酶区域后,利用响应面中心组合设计对显著因素进行优化,获得最适合成培养基组分为:葡萄糖8g/L,尿素8.57g/L,三丁酸甘油酯2.62%,KH2PO42.59g/L,MgSO4.7H2O0.5g/L,TritonX-1000.5g/L,pH9.47。优化后的B.subtilis CICC 20034胞外脂肪酶活力达0.483U/ml,比初始酶活力0.072U/ml提高了6.7倍。     

Hyaluronic Acid Production in Bacillus subtilis

The hasA gene from Streptococcus equisimilis, which encodes the enzyme hyaluronan synthase, has been expressed in Bacillus subtilis, resulting in the production of hyaluronic acid (HA) in the 1-MDa range. Artificial operons were assembled and tested, all of which contain the hasA gene along with one or more genes encoding enzymes involved in the synthesis of the UDP-precursor sugars that are required for HA synthesis. It was determined that the production of UDP-glucuronic acid is limiting in B. subtilis and that overexpressing the hasA gene along with the endogenous tuaD gene is sufficient for high-level production of HA. In addition, the B. subtilis-derived material was shown to be secreted and of high quality, comparable to commercially available sources of HA.     

Role and Regulation of Bacillus subtilis Glutamate Dehydrogenase Genes

The complete Bacillus subtilis genome contains two genes with the potential to encode glutamate dehydrogenase (GlutDH) enzymes. Mutations in these genes were constructed and characterized. The rocG gene proved to encode a major GlutDH whose synthesis was induced in media containing arginine or ornithine or, to a lesser degree, proline and was repressed by glucose. A rocG null mutant was impaired in utilization of arginine, ornithine, and proline as nitrogen or carbon sources. The gudB gene was expressed under all growth conditions tested but codes for a GlutDH that seemed to be intrinsically inactive. Spontaneous mutations in gudB that removed a 9-bp direct repeat within the wild-type gudB sequence activated the GudB protein and allowed more-efficient utilization of amino acids of the glutamate family.     

Production of sedoheptulose by Bacillus subtilis

Wild type strains of Bacillus subtilis produced sedoheptulose from d-ribose but not from d-glucose, B. subtilis mutants deficient in transketolase produced sedoheptulose when d-glucose was used as a carbon source. The addition of d-ribose to the culture medium increased the amount of sedoheptulose accumulated, reaching about 20 mg/ml of culture broth. The mutant strains reverted to wild type strains at a high frequency during cell growth, and therefore the accumulation of sedoheptulose was caused by the genetic instability of the mutant: d-ribose formed from d-glucose by the mutant strain was converted into sedoheptulose by revertant cells that appeared during cultivation.     

Characterization of comQ and comX, Two Genes Required for Production of ComX Pheromone in Bacillus subtilis

Many microbes use secreted peptide-signaling molecules to stimulate changes in gene expression in response to high population density, a process called quorum sensing. ComX pheromone is a modified 10-amino-acid peptide used by Bacillus subtilis to modulate changes in gene expression in response to crowding. comQ and comX are required for production of ComX pheromone. We found that accumulation of ComX pheromone in culture supernatant paralleled cell growth, indicating that there was no autoinduction of production of ComX pheromone. We overexpressed comQ and comX separately and together and found that overexpression of comX alone was sufficient to cause an increase in production of ComX pheromone and early induction of a quorum-responsive promoter. These results indicate that the extracellular concentration of ComX pheromone plays a major role in determining the timing of the quorum response and that expression of comX is limiting for production of ComX pheromone. We made alanine substitutions in the residues that comprise the peptide backbone of ComX pheromone. Analysis of these mutants highlighted the importance of the modification for ComX pheromone function and identified three residues (T50, G54, and D55) that are unlikely to interact with proteins involved in production of or response to ComX pheromone. We have also identified and mutated a putative isoprenoid binding domain of ComQ. Mutations in this domain eliminated production of ComX pheromone, consistent with the hypothesis that ComQ is involved in modifying ComX pheromone and that the modification is likely to be an isoprenoid.     

Isoprene synthase activity parallels fluctuations of isoprene release during growth of Bacillus subtilis

Isoprene is a volatile metabolite of uncertain function in plants, animals, and bacteria. Here, we demonstrate that the isoprene-producing bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, contains an isoprene synthase activity that catalyzes dimethylallyl diphosphate-dependent isoprene formation. Although the enzyme was very labile, it was demonstrated in both permeabilized cells and in partially purified cell extracts. Its activity was optimal at pH 6.2, required low levels of a divalent cation, and appears distinct from chloroplast isoprene synthases. When grown in a bioreactor, B. subtilis cells released isoprene in three distinct phases; using permeabilized cells, it was shown that isoprene synthase activity rose and fell in parallel with each phase. These results suggest that isoprene synthesis is highly regulated in B. subtilis and further research in this model system may shed light on the role of isoprene formation in biological systems.     

Genes required for cytochrome c synthesis in Bacillus subtilis

Cytochromes of c-type contain covalently bound haem and in bacteria are located on the periplasmic side of the cytoplasmic membrane. More than eight different gene products have been identified as being specifically required for the synthesis of cytochromes c in Gram-negative bacteria. Corresponding genes are not found in the genome sequences of Gram-positive bacteria. Using two random mutagenesis approaches, we have searched for cytochrome c biogenesis genes in the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Three genes, resB, resC and ccdA, were identified. CcdA has been found previously and is required for a late step in cytochrome c synthesis and also plays a role in spore synthesis. No function has previously been assigned for ResB and ResC but these predicted membrane proteins show sequence similarity to proteins required for cytochrome c synthesis in chloroplasts. Attempts to inactivate resB and resC in B. subtilis have indicated that these genes are essential for growth. We demonstrate that various nonsense mutations in resB or resC can block synthesis of cytochromes c with no effect on other types of cytochromes and little effect on sporulation and growth. The results strongly support the recent proposal that Gram-positive bacteria, cyanobacteria, epsilon-proteobacteria, and chloroplasts have a similar type of machinery for cytochrome c synthesis (System II), which is very different from those of most Gram-negative bacteria (System I) and mitochondria (System III).     

High Production of Thermostable beta-Galactosidase of Bacillus stearothermophilus in Bacillus subtilis

By cloning the beta-galactosidase gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus IAM11001 (ATCC 8005) into Bacillus subtilis, enzyme production was enhanced 50 times. beta-Galactosidase could be purified to 80% homogeneity by incubating the cell extract of B. subtilis at 70 degrees C for 15 min, followed by centrifugation to remove the denatured proteins. Because of its heat stability and ease of production, beta-galactosidase is suitable for application in industrial processes.