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Using Coculture to Detect Chemically Mediated Interspecies Interactions

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Proline utilization by Bacillus subtilis: uptake and catabolism.

Susanne Moses¹, Tatjana Sinner, Adrienne Zaprasis

¹Philipps-University Marburg, Department of Biology, Laboratory for Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.

Journal of Bacteriology

|December 6, 2011

Summary

Bacillus subtilis distinguishes external L-proline from internal pools, regulating its catabolism. This prevents futile cycles by not activating proline utilization genes when proline is synthesized for stress protection.

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

L-proline serves as a crucial carbon and nitrogen source for Bacillus subtilis.
Bacillus subtilis synthesizes large amounts of L-proline for osmostress protection.

Purpose of the Study:

To genetically identify and characterize the L-proline utilization pathway in Bacillus subtilis.
To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms controlling L-proline catabolism in response to external versus internal proline pools.

Main Methods:

Genetic analysis of the putBCP (ycgMNO) locus.
Northern blotting, primer extension, and reporter gene fusions.
Investigating the role of PutP, OpuE, and McpC in putBCP regulation.

Main Results:

The putBCP gene cluster encodes L-proline catabolic enzymes and a transporter.
putBCP is an L-proline-inducible operon regulated by PutR and a SigA-type promoter.
External L-proline induces putBCP, but internally synthesized proline does not, indicating a regulatory distinction.

Conclusions:

Bacillus subtilis differentiates between exogenous and endogenous L-proline pools.
This regulatory mechanism prevents the catabolism of osmo-protectant proline, avoiding futile metabolic cycles.
The molecular basis for distinguishing proline sources remains to be elucidated.