Timing and genetic regulation of commitment to sporulation in Bacillus subtilis

Parker, Gavin; Daniel, Richard A.; Errington, Jeff

doi:10.1099/13500872-142-12-3445

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In B. subtilis, a series of protein kinases are used to assess starvation and a cascade of different σ-factors is used to control transcription of sporulation genes. Once the early cell type-specific σ-factors are activated, B. subtilis cells are committed to sporulation (46). We suggest that activation any of the EBPs in the cascade fails to lock cells into the pathway to sporulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cascade of coregulating enhancer binding proteins initiates and propagates a multicellular developmental program

Giglio

Caberoy

Suen

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

139

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The signal transduction networks that initiate multicellular development in bacteria remain largely undefined. Here, we report that Myxococcus xanthus regulates entry into its multicellular developmental program using a novel strategy: a cascade of transcriptional activators known as enhancer binding proteins (EBPs). The EBPs in the cascade function in sequential stages of early development, and several lines of evidence indicate that the cascade is propagated when EBPs that function at one stage of development directly regulate transcription of an EBP gene important for the next developmental stage. We also show that the regulatory cascade is designed in a novel way that extensively expands on the typical use of EBPs: Instead of using only one EBP to regulate a particular gene or group of genes, which is the norm in other bacterial systems, the cascade uses multiple EBPs to regulate EBP genes that are positioned at key transition points in early development. Based on the locations of the putative EBP promoter binding sites, several different mechanisms of EBP coregulation are possible, including the formation of coregulating EBP transcriptional complexes. We propose that M. xanthus uses an EBP coregulation strategy to make expression of EBP genes that modulate stage-stage transitions responsive to multiple signal transduction pathways, which provide information that is important for a coordinated decision to advance the developmental process.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cascade of coregulating enhancer binding proteins initiates and propagates a multicellular developmental program

Giglio

Caberoy

Suen

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

139

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Growth of mother cells has been studied previously in the context of "commitment": after spore formation has initiated, have organisms become committed to forming spores when they are transferred to a nutrient-rich medium, or do the mother cells (and prespores) resume growth? Several lines of evidence have suggested that commitment occurs soon after asymmetric sporulation division (15,16) and depends on activation of the early cell-specific sigma factors F and E (36). In particular, F -directed genes control the commitment of the prespore, whereas the commitment of the mother cell depends on the E -directed transcription of spoIIP (11).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulation of Growth of the Mother Cell and Chromosome Replication during Sporulation of Bacillus subtilis

Xenopoulos

Piggot

2011

J Bacteriol

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During spore formation, Bacillus subtilis divides asymmetrically, resulting in two cells with different fates. Immediately after division, the transcription factor F becomes active in the smaller prespore, followed by activation of E in the larger mother cell. We recently showed that a delay in E activation resulted in the novel phenotype of two spores (twins) forming within the same mother cell. Mother cells bearing twins are substantially longer than mother cells with single spores. Here we explore the regulation of the growth and DNA replication of the mother cell. We find that length correlates with chromosome number in the mother cell. We show that replication and growth could occur after asymmetric division in mother cells with no active E . In contrast, when E was active, replication and growth ceased. In growing mother cells, with no active E , Spo0A-directed transcription levels remained low. In the presence of active E , Spo0A-directed gene expression was enhanced in the mother cells. Artificial Spo0A activation blocked mother cell growth in the absence of E . Spo0A activation blocked growth even in the absence of SirA, the Spo0A-directed inhibitor of the initiation of replication. Together, the results indicate that the burst of Spo0A-directed expression along with the activation of E provides mechanisms to block the DNA replication and growth of the mother cell.

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“…The various signals and inputs required for entry into sporulation feed into the Spo0A protein, the master regulator of sporulation (201). In a given population of genetically identical cells, only a subset of these cells actually initiates sporulation (44), and this developmental process is irreversible once the asymmetrically positioned division septum (separating the prespore and mother cell) is formed (190). The "decision" by an individual cell to enter into sporulation is regulated by a bistable switch that controls the phosphorylated state of Spo0A and accounts for why some cells contain active Spo0A and others do not (44,54,259,260).…”

Section: Cannibalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Control of Bacterial Death and Lysis

Rice

Bayles

2008

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

319

312

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SUMMARY Although the phenomenon of bacterial cell death and lysis has been studied for over 100 years, the contribution of these important processes to bacterial physiology and development has only recently been recognized. Contemporary study of cell death and lysis in a number of different bacteria has revealed that these processes, once thought of as being passive and unregulated, are actually governed by highly complex regulatory systems. An emerging paradigm in this field suggests that, analogous to programmed cell death in eukaryotes, regulated cell death and lysis in bacteria play an important role in both developmental processes, such as competence and biofilm development, and the elimination of damaged cells, such as those irreversibly injured by environmental or antibiotic stress. Further study in this exciting field of bacterial research may provide new insight into the potential evolutionary link between control of cell death in bacteria and programmed cell death (apoptosis) in eukaryotes.

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Timing and genetic regulation of commitment to sporulation in Bacillus subtilis

Cited by 31 publications

References 31 publications

A cascade of coregulating enhancer binding proteins initiates and propagates a multicellular developmental program

A cascade of coregulating enhancer binding proteins initiates and propagates a multicellular developmental program

Regulation of Growth of the Mother Cell and Chromosome Replication during Sporulation of Bacillus subtilis

Molecular Control of Bacterial Death and Lysis

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