General stress transcription factorσB and sporulation transcription factorσH each contribute to survival of Bacillus subtilis under extreme growth conditions

The general stress response of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis is controlled by the sigma(B) transcription factor. Here we show that loss of sigma(B) reduces stationary-phase viability 10-fold in either alkaline or acidic media and reduces cell yield in media containing ethanol. We further show that loss of the developmental transcription factor sigma(H) also has a marked effect on stationary-phase viability under these conditions and that this effect is independent from the simple loss of sporulation ability.