Synthesis of a Bacillus subtilis Small, Acid-Soluble Spore Protein in Escherichiacoli Causes Cell DNA to Assume some Characteristics of Spore DNA

摘要

Approximately 10 to 20% of the protein of spores of various Bacillus species is agroup of small, acid-soluble proteins (SASP) (22). These proteins are synthesized within the developing spore late in sporulation and degraded early in spore germination, thus providing amino acids for protein synthesis. The SASP have been divided into two types, gamma and an alpha/BETA, based on both immunological and primary sequence analyses. The following are significant properties of gamma-type SASP: (1) they are coded for by a single gene in all species examined, (2) their amino acid sequences are fairly highly conserved across species but not as conserved as those of alpha/BETA-type SASP, (3) they are not associated with spore DNA in vivo (8), and (4) their only known role in spores is as an amino acid reserve for protein synthesis during spore germination.