In vivo domain-based functional analysis of the major sporulation sensor kinase, KinA, in Bacillus subtilis.

ABSTRACT: Sensor histidine kinases are widely used by bacteria to detect and respond to environmental signals. In Bacillus subtilis, KinA is a major kinase providing phosphate input to the phosphorelay that activates the sporulation pathway upon starvation via the phosphorylated Spo0A transcription factor. KinA contains three PAS domains in its amino-terminal sensor domain, which appear to be involved in the sensing of an unidentified sporulation signal(s) produced upon starvation. Prior biochemical studies have suggested that KinA forms a homodimer as a functional enzyme and that the most amino-terminal PAS domain (PAS-A) plays an important role in sensing the signal(s) to activate an ATP-dependent autophosphorylation reaction to a histidine residue. To analyze the structure and function of the kin

SUBMITTER: Eswaramoorthy P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2725609 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature