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Isolation and characterization of csbB, a gene controlled by Bacillus subtilis general stress transcription factor
1Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
Abstract:
In the bacterium Bacillus subtilis (Bs), the alternative transcription factor sigma B is activated by environmental stresses to control the expression of a large set of unlinked genes. However, the range of physiological functions mediated by these sigma B-controlled genes is presently unknown. We report here that the newly identified gene csbB is under the dual control of a sigma B-dependent and a sigma B-independent promoter. The predicted product of csbB is a 329 residue protein containing two potential membrane-spanning segments in its C-terminal region, leading us to speculate that one class of sigma B-controlled genes acts to modify the cell envelope as part of the general stress response.