Dl. Cheo et al., ELUCIDATION OF REGULATORY ELEMENTS THAT CONTROL DAMAGE INDUCTION AND COMPETENCE INDUCTION OF THE BACILLUS-SUBTILIS SOS SYSTEM, Journal of bacteriology, 175(18), 1993, pp. 5907-5915
A novel consensus sequence (GAAC-N4-GTTC) has been identified within t
he promoter regions of DNA damage-inducible (din) genes from Bacillus
subtilis. This sequence has been proposed to function as an operator s
ite that is required for regulation of the SOS system of B. subtilis.
To test this hypothesis, a deletion analysis of the dinA and recA prom
oter regions was utilized. A single consensus sequence is sufficient a
nd necessary for damage-inducible regulation of the dinA and recA prom
oters. Deletion of the consensus sequences upstream of these promoters
derepressed their expression under uninduced conditions. In addition,
this deletion analysis has further defined sequences upstream of the
recA promoter that are required for expression of the recA gene in cel
ls that have differentiated to the state of natural competence. Northe
rn (RNA) hybridization and S1 nuclease protection experiments have dem
onstrated that the damage-inducible and competence-inducible recA-spec
ific transcripts initiate from a single promoter. Mutations within the
comA, srfA, and degU loci each completely abolish the competence-indu
cible expression of the recA gene.