Swarming differentiation and swimming motility in Bacillus subtilis are controlled by swrA, a newly identified dicistronic operon.

ABSTRACT: The number and disposition of flagella harbored by eubacteria are regulated by a specific trait successfully maintained over generations. The genes governing the number of flagella in Bacillus subtilis have never been identified, although the ifm locus has long been recognized to influence the motility phenotype of this microorganism. The characterization of a spontaneous ifm mutant of B. subtilis, displaying diverse degrees of cell flagellation in both liquid and solid media, raised the question of how the ifm locus governs the number and assembly of functional flagella. The major finding of this investigation is the characterization of a newly identified dicistronic operon, named swrA, that controls both swimming motility and swarming differentiation in B. subtilis. Functional analysis o

SUBMITTER: Calvio C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1196031 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature