Stripping Bacillus:: ComK auto-stimulation is responsible for the bistable response in competence development

被引:154
作者
Smits, WK [1 ]
Eschevins, CC [1 ]
Susanna, KA [1 ]
Bron, S [1 ]
Kuipers, OP [1 ]
Hamoen, LW [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Groningen, Dept Genet, Groningen Biomol Sci & Biotechnol Inst, NL-9751 NN Haren, Netherlands
关键词
D O I
10.1111/j.1365-2958.2005.04488.x
中图分类号
Q5 [生物化学]; Q7 [分子生物学];
学科分类号
071010 ; 081704 ;
摘要
In Bacillus subtilis competence for genetic transformation develops only in a subpopulation of cells in an isogenic culture. The molecular mechanisms underlying this phenotypic heterogeneity are unknown. In this study, we stepwise simplify the signal transduction cascade leading to competence, yielding a strain devoid of all regulatory inputs for this process that have been identified so far. We demonstrate that auto-stimulation of ComK, the master regulator for competence development, is essential and in itself can be sufficient to generate a bistable expression pattern. We argue that transcriptional regulation determines the threshold of ComK to initiate the auto-stimulatory response, and that the basal level of ComK (in a wild-type strain governed by MecA-mediated proteolytic control) determines the fraction of cells that reach this threshold, and thus develop competence.
引用
收藏
页码:604 / 614
页数:11
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