Revised assignment for the Bacillus subtilis spo0F gene and its homology with spo0A and with two Escherichia coli genes

Abstract

The nucleotide sequences of spo0F mutant genes which block the early sporulation process of Bacillus subtilis were determined. The mutation sites together with tEe results of complementation tests suggested that an open reading frame for a polypeptide of M _r =14,229 is the spo0F gene. The deduced amino acid sequence shows striking homology with that of the spo0A gene. In addition, the upstream region involving the ribosome binding site of the spo0F coding region is also similar to those of spo0A and spo0B . These homologies suggest that all three genes have a similar function in regulating the initiation of sporulation, and that their expression is controlled by a common mechanism. Clear homology is also seen between the spo0 gene products and the transcriptional control proteins, OmpR and Dye, of Escherichia coli suggesting that the spo0 gene products also are involved in the control of transcription.