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Published online ahead of print on 23 April 2009 as doi:10.1099/mic.0.026435-0
Microbiology 2009;155:2282.

Microbiology (2009), DOI 10.1099/mic.0.026435-0
© 2009 Society for General Microbiology
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Microbiology 0 (2009), mic.0.026435; DOI  10.1099/mic.0.026435-0
© 2009 Society for General Microbiology

SwrAA activates poly-gamma-glutamate synthesis in addition to swarming in Bacillus subtilis

Cecilia Osera, Giuseppe Amati, Cinzia Calvio1 and Alessandro Galizzi

Università degli Studi di Pavia

ABSTRACT

Poly-gamma-glutamic acid ({gamma}-PGA) is an extracellular polymer produced by various strains of Bacillus. It was first described as the component of the capsule in B. anthracis, where it plays a relevant role in virulence. {gamma}-PGA is also a distinctive component of "natto", a Japanese traditional food consisting of soybean fermented by B. subtilis (natto). Domesticated B. subtilis strains do not synthesize {gamma}-PGA although they possess the functional biosynthetic pgs operon. In the present work we explore the correlation between the genetic determinants, swrAA and degU, which allow a derivative of the domestic strain JH642 to display a mucoid colony morphology on LB agar plates due to the production of {gamma}-PGA. Full activation of the pgs operon requires the co-presence of SwrAA and the phosphorylated form of DegU (DegU~P). The presence of either DegU~P or SwrAA alone has only marginal effects on pgs operon transcription and {gamma}-PGA production. Although SwrAA was identified as necessary for swarming and full swimming motility together with DegU, we show that motility is not involved in {gamma}-PGA production. Activation of {gamma}-PGA synthesis is therefore a motility-independent phenotype in which SwrAA and DegU~P display a cooperative effect.

1 E-mail: cica{at}ipvgen.unipv.it






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