Noise in a phosphorelay drives stochastic entry into sporulation in Bacillus subtilis.

ABSTRACT: Entry into sporulation in Bacillus subtilis is governed by a phosphorelay in which phosphoryl groups from a histidine kinase are successively transferred via relay proteins to the response regulator Spo0A. Spo0A~P, in turn, sets in motion events that lead to asymmetric division and activation of the cell-specific transcription factor σ^F, a hallmark for entry into sporulation. Here, we have used a microfluidics-based platform to investigate the activation of Spo0A and σ^F in individual cells held under constant, sporulation-inducing conditions. The principal conclusions were that: (i) activation of σ^F occurs with an approximately constant probability after adaptation to conditions of nutrient limitation; (ii) activation of σ^F is tightly corr

SUBMITTER: Russell JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5623841 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature