Selective Pressure for Biofilm Formation in Bacillus subtilis: Differential Effect of Mutations in the Master Regulator SinR on Bistability.

ABSTRACT: Biofilm formation by Bacillus subtilis requires the expression of genes encoding enzymes for extracellular polysaccharide synthesis and for an amyloid-like protein. The master regulator SinR represses all the corresponding genes, and repression of these key biofilm genes is lifted when SinR interacts with its cognate antagonist proteins. The YmdB phosphodiesterase is a recently discovered factor that is involved in the control of SinR activity: cells lacking YmdB exhibit hyperactive SinR and are unable to relieve the repression of the biofilm genes. In this study, we have examined the dynamics of gene expression patterns in wild-type and ymdB mutant cells by microfluidic analysis coupled to time-lapse microscopy. Our results confirm the bistable expression pattern for motilit

SUBMITTER: Kampf J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6123443 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature