PamR, a new MarR-like regulator affecting prophages and metabolic genes expression in Bacillus subtilis

PLoS One. 2017 Dec 14;12(12):e0189694. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189694. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

B. subtilis adapts to changing environments by reprogramming its genetic expression through a variety of transcriptional regulators from the global transition state regulators that allow a complete resetting of the cell genetic expression, to stress specific regulators controlling only a limited number of key genes required for optimal adaptation. Among them, MarR-type transcriptional regulators are known to respond to a variety of stresses including antibiotics or oxidative stress, and to control catabolic or virulence gene expression. Here we report the characterization of the ydcFGH operon of B. subtilis, containing a putative MarR-type transcriptional regulator. Using a combination of molecular genetics and high-throughput approaches, we show that this regulator, renamed PamR, controls directly its own expression and influence the expression of large sets of prophage-related and metabolic genes. The extent of the regulon impacted by PamR suggests that this regulator reprograms the metabolic landscape of B. subtilis in response to a yet unknown signal.

MeSH terms

  • Bacillus subtilis / genetics*
  • Bacillus subtilis / metabolism
  • Bacillus subtilis / virology
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / physiology*
  • Carbon / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / physiology*
  • Operon
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Prophages / genetics*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Carbon

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a starting grant from the European Research Council (ERC-StG 311231) to R.C.-L. and a Marie Curie IRG grant from the European Commission (IRG-249018) to A.C. A.D.S.E.–C. was the recipient of a fellowship from the French “Ministère de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche”. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.