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J Errington

Publications and source records attributed to J Errington.

115 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Use of a lacZ gene fusion to determine the dependence pattern of sporulation operon spoIIIC in spo mutants of Bacillus subtilis: a branched pathway of expression of sporulation operons.

The sporulation gene spoIIIC from Bacillus subtilis was fused to the lacZ gene from Escherichia coli, so that the transcription of the lacZ gene was under the control of the spoIIIC promoter. Production of beta-galactosidase, under conditions of sporulation, was then used as an indicator to study the expression of spoIIIC in relation to other sporulation loci. Expression of spoIIIC, which occurred only in the mother cell compartment, was prevented by mutations in all of the stage 0 and stage II loci, and also by spoIIID, spoIVA and spoIVB mutations. By contrast, the last three operons are not needed for expression of spoVA, which has previously been shown to be spore-specific. In consequence, a branched pathway of gene expression is proposed. One branch leads to expression of spoVA within the spore compartment, the other to expression of spoIIIC in the mother cell.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1985

Nucleotide sequence and complementation analysis of a polycistronic sporulation operon, spoVA, in Bacillus subtilis.

We have determined the nucleotide sequence of a 3706 bp stretch of Bacillus subtilis chromosomal DNA that complements all known spoVA mutations. The sequence contains five consecutive large open reading frames capable of encoding proteins of molecular weights ranging from approximately 15000 to 36000. Analysis using integrational plasmids suggests that the region is likely to be transcribed as a single mRNA. A novel form of complementation analysis, based on derivatives of bacteriophage phi 105 carrying the cloned spoVA locus, has been used to define four distinct complementation groups among the eight previously characterized spoVA mutations. The spoVA locus is the largest polycistronic sporulation operon yet characterized.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1984

Efficient Bacillus subtilis cloning system using bacteriophage vector phi 105J9.

An efficient system for cloning in Bacillus subtilis is described which uses a newly constructed bacteriophage vector, phi 105J9. The phage genome contains cloning sites for the enzymes BamH1, XbaI and SalI, and can accommodate inserts of passenger DNA of at least 4 kbp. Recombinant phages, which can both plaque and lysogenize normally, are recovered after direct transfection of protoplasts in the presence of polyethylene glycol. Several fully functional sporulation genes and one biosynthetic gene from B. subtilis have been isolated from genomic libraries that were constructed with the new vector. The system may provide an alternative to some of the cloning methods currently available that use Escherichia coli as host.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1984

Genetic and phenotypic characterization of a cluster of mutations in the spoVA locus of Bacillus subtilis.

Twenty-nine mutants blocked during stage V of sporulation have been isolated following directed mutagenesis of the lys-1 region of the Bacillus subtilis 168 chromosome. All of a sample of eight mutants tested are unaffected in sporulation marker events up to stage IV but did not produce dipicolinic acid. They produced stable 'phase white' spores that were released from the mother cell, and were partially resistant to toluene and lysozyme but sensitive to chloroform and heat. Mutation spoV A89, known to be in the lys-1 region, showed similar phenotypic characteristics. Three-factor transformation crosses and recombination indices showed that the new mutations and spoV A89 lie in a single linkage group, which maps between lys-1 and another sporulation locus, spoIIA. The size of the spoV A locus is such that it probably contains several genes, and these may be contiguous with the cluster of genes included within the spoIIA locus.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1984

Restriction enzyme analysis of Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage phi 105 DNA.

The recognition sites on phi 105 DNA for the restriction endonucleases EcoRI, Bg/II, SmaI, KpnI, SstI, SalI, XhoI, NcoI, PstI, HindIII, ClaI, EcoRV and MluI have been mapped. The sites for EcoRI are shown to be different from those published earlier. The DNA from phi 105 contains no recognition sites for the endonucleases BamHI and XbaI.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1983

Variety of sporulation phenotypes resulting from mutations in a single regulatory locus, spoIIA, in Bacillus subtilis.

Closely linked mutations in either of the two putative genes of the sporulation locus spoIIA can affect, in quite diverse ways, spore incidence, the production of alkaline phosphatase and DNAase, and the stability of the cells in sporulation medium. It is concluded that the locus has a regulatory function affecting the activation or induction of at least two, and possibly more, sporulation-associated operons.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗