Regulated DNA rearrangement during sporulation in Bacillus weihenstephanensis KBAB4. Issue 2 (9th September 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Abe, Kimihiro; Yoshinari, Akira; Aoyagi, Takahiro; Hirota, Yasunori; Iwamoto, Keito; Sato, Tsutomu
• Is Part Of: Molecular microbiology. Volume 90:Issue 2(2013)
• Page Start: 415
• Page End: 427
• Publication Date: 2013-09-09
• Subjects: Molecular microbiology -- Periodicals; 572.829
• DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12375
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-382X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Summary</title> <p>Temperate phages can integrate their genomes into a specific region of a host chromosome to produce lysogens (prophage). During genome insertion, prophages may interrupt the gene coding sequence. In <italic>Bacillus subtilis</italic>, the sigma factor gene <italic>sigK</italic> is interrupted by a 48 kb prophage‐like element. <italic>sigK</italic> is a composite coding sequence from two partial genes during sporulation. For over two decades, however, no further examples of DNA element‐mediated gene reconstitution other than <italic>sigK</italic> have been identified in spore formers. Here we report that the gene for dipicolinic acid (DPA) synthetase β subunit <italic>spoVFB</italic> in <italic>B. weihenstephanensis</italic> KBAB4 is interrupted by a prophage‐like element named <italic>vfbin</italic>. DPA is synthesized in the mother cell and required for maintaining spore dormancy. We found that <italic>spoVFB</italic> was a composite coding sequence generated in the mother cell via chromosomal rearrangement that excised <italic>vfbin</italic>. Furthermore, <italic>vfbin</italic> caused excision after phage‐inducer treatment, but <italic>vfbin</italic> appeared to be defective as a prophage. We also found various spore‐forming bacteria in which sporulation‐related genes were disrupted by prophage‐like DNA elements. These results demonstrate the first example of a similar mechanism that affects a sporulation gene other than <italic>sigK</italic> and suggest that this prophage‐mediated DNA rearrangement is a common phenomenon in spore‐forming bacteria.</p> </abstract>