CLONING OF A NOVEL GENE YRBB, ENCODING A PROTEIN LOCATED IN THE SPOREINTEGUMENT OF BACILLUS-SUBTILIS

A DNA fragment (2.7 kbp) containing three deduced open reading frames, orf1, orf2 and orf3 (partial sequence), was isolated from the genomic library of Bacillus subtilis using an antiserum raised against spore integument, and was sequenced. orf2 was 519 nucleotides long and encod ed a protein of 172 amino acids with a predicted molecular size of 19 552, corresponding to the protein which reacted with the antiserum. Im munoelectron microscopic observation indicated that YrbB, the product of orf2, was located within the spore integument, mainly in the cortex layer with a part in the inner region of the coat layer. (C) 1998 Pub lished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.