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Updated: Apr 28, 2026

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
Published on: February 19, 2019
σ(ECF) factors of gram-positive bacteria: a focus on Bacillus subtilis and the CMNR group
Bianca Mendes Souza1, Thiago Luiz de Paula Castro1, Rodrigo Dias de Oliveira Carvalho1
1Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Departamento de Biologia Geral; Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Belo Horizonte, MG Brazil.
Abstract:
The survival of bacteria to different environmental conditions depends on the activation of adaptive mechanisms, which are intricately driven through gene regulation. Because transcriptional initiation is considered to be the major step in the control of bacterial genes, we discuss the characteristics and roles of the sigma factors, addressing (1) their structural, functional and phylogenetic classification; (2) how their activity is regulated; and (3) the promoters recognized by these factors. Finally, we focus on a specific group of alternative sigma factors, the so-called σ(ECF) factors, in Bacillus subtilis and some of the main species that comprise the CMNR group, providing information on the roles they play in the microorganisms' physiology and indicating some of the genes whose transcription they regulate.
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