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Determination of the Optimal Chromosomal Location(s) for a DNA Element in Escherichia coli Using a Novel Transposon-mediated Approach

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Gene position within a long transcript as a determinant for stochastic switching in bacteria.

Jan-Willem Veening¹, Oscar P Kuipers

¹Molecular Genetics Group, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentation, University of Groningen, Haren, the Netherlands. j.w.veening@rug.nl

Molecular Microbiology

|March 18, 2010

Summary

Gene position within bacterial operons influences cell differentiation. Moving the sigD gene upstream increased motility in Bacillus subtilis, revealing gene placement as a key factor in phenotypic variation.

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Area of Science:

Bacterial development
Molecular microbiology
Developmental biology

Background:

Genetically identical cells can form distinct subpopulations.
Bacillus subtilis cultures exhibit motile (swimming) and non-motile (chained) cell types.
Understanding phenotypic variation is crucial for developmental biology.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate how gene position affects phenotypic differentiation in Bacillus subtilis.
Determine the role of the sigD gene's location within the motility operon.
Explore mechanisms regulating phenotypic variation in bacterial development.

Main Methods:

Genetic manipulation of the sigD gene's position within the Bacillus subtilis motility operon.
Quantification of motile versus non-motile cell populations.
Analysis of gene expression control related to motility.

Main Results:

The position of the sigD gene significantly impacts the probability of cell motility.
Moving sigD upstream within the operon increased the proportion of motile cells (up to 100%).
Approximately 70% of cells were motile in the control strain with the native gene arrangement.

Conclusions:

Gene position within an operon is a critical regulator of gene expression and phenotypic variation.
RNA polymerase processivity and mRNA turnover may contribute to noise in bacterial development.
Gene positioning could be a widespread, yet unrecognized, mechanism for controlling phenotypic diversity in bacteria.