A Bacillus subtilis secreted protein with a role in endospore coat assembly and function.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial endospores are encased in a complex protein coat, which confers protection against noxious chemicals and influences the germination response. In Bacillus subtilis, over 20 polypeptides are organized into an amorphous undercoat, a lamellar lightly staining inner structure, and an electron-dense outer coat. Here we report on the identification of a polypeptide of about 30 kDa required for proper coat assembly, which was extracted from spores of a gerE mutant. The N-terminal sequence of this polypeptide matched the deduced product of the tasA gene, after removal of a putative 27-residue signal peptide, and TasA was immunologically detected in material extracted from purified spores. Remarkably, deletion of tasA results in the production of asymmetric spores that accumulate misassemb

SUBMITTER: Serrano M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC93838 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature