In Vivo and in Vitro Transcription by Ribonucleic Acid Polymerase from SP82-infected Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase and its modification in sporulating and phage-infected bacteria

Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase holoenzyme consists of the subunits beta', beta, sigma, alpha, delta, and omega. In sporulating bacteria and in bacteria infected with phages SP01 and SP82, this enzyme undergoes changes in subunit composition and transcriptional specificity that could play a regulatory role in gene transcription. Sporulating bacteria may contain a specific component that inhibits the activity of the sigma subunit of polymerase probably by interfering with the binding of sigma-polypeptide to core enzyme. The hypothetical inhibitor may be metabolically unstable, since its activity is rapidly depleted from sporulating cells in the presence of chloramphenicol. Inhibition of sigma-polypeptide activity may restrict the transcription of phage DNA an infected sporulating cells. Although lacking the sigma-subunit, RNA polymerase purified from sporulating cells contains sporulation-specific subunits of 85,000 and 27,000 daltons. In SP01-infected bacteria, the sigma-subunit is replaced by phage-induced subunits. Purified enzyme containing the protein product of SP01 regulatory gene 28 directs the transcription of phage middle genes in vitro, while enzyme containing phage-induced polypeptides V and VI preferentially copies late genes. Accurate transcription of middle and late genes in vitro requires the host delta-subunit of polymerase (or high ionic strength) but not sigma-subunit. Phage PBS2 induces an entirely new multisubunit RNA polymerase that specifically transcribes PBS2 DNA in vitro. This enzyme is synthesized de novo after infection and does not arise by modification of the B. subtilis holoenzyme.

Predominance of bacteriophage SP82 over bacteriophage SP01 in mixed infections of Bacillus subtilis

In mixed infections with Bacillus subtilis phages SP82 and SP01, the SP82 genotype is predominant among the progeny. This predominance is determined by a specific region of the genome, the pos region, which apparently is located near genes 29 to 32 (by the SP01 numbering system). Recombination between SP82 and SP01 yields phage which have both the SP82 pos region and an SP01 mutation. This mutation then behaves in mixed infection as if it were part of an SP82 genome.

Analysis of bacteriophage SP82 major "early" in vitro transcripts

A restriction map was constructed for the 17.5-kilobase SalI C fragment of SP82 DNA. Unfractionated SP82 DNA, the SalI C fragment, and restriction fragments derived from SalI-C were used as templates for in vitro synthesis by the Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase, and the resulting transcripts were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Comparison of the RNA species obtained from SalI-C with those produced from unfractionated DNA indicated that most of the RNAs and all of the major transcripts originate from the SalI C fragment; this fragment contains one copy of the terminally redundant portion of the genome. Seven major transcripts, a bidirectional terminator site, and 5 of the 13 minor transcripts were located within the 13-kilobase redundant region. The binding of polymerase to fragments of DNA produced by digestion of SalI-C with HpaII and HhaI was used to identify promoter-bearing regions within SalI-C.

The nature of transcription selectivity of bacteriophage SPO1-modified RNA polymerase

Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase have almost identical transcription specificities on bacteriophage SPO1 DNA when assayed in a coupled transcription-translation cell free system. SPO1-modified B. subtilis RNA polymerase has altered transcription specificity. It is shown that rifampicin-inhibited E. coli RNA polymerase can completely block transcription of SPO1 DNA by rifampicin resistant B. subtilis enzyme, whereas it has no effect on transcription by SPO1-modified B. subtilis RNA polymerase. We conclude that the new transcription by SPO1-modified RNA polymerase results from newly recognized promoters, rather than by elongation of transcripts which could also be made by B. subtilis vegetative RNA polymerase.

DNA strand specificity of temporal RNA classes produced during infection of Bacillus subtilis by SP82

The DNA of the Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SP82 has been separated into heavy (H) and light (L) fractions by centrifugation in buoyant density gradients in the presence of polyguanylic acid. Competition-hybridization experiments were performed with these separated fractions using RNAs isolated from cells labeled at intervals which account for 80% of the lytic cycle and unlabeled competitor RNAs isolated from phage-infected cells at 2-min intervals throughout infection. The analysis of temporal RNA classes were facilitated by use of a double reciprocal plot of the data. Five temporal classes binding to the H fraction and three binding to the L fraction were detected; the possible existence of an additional class transcribed from the H fraction is discussed. RNA synthesized in the presence of chloramphenicol contains two of the three classes produced from L-DNA and two of the five classes transcribed from H-DNA.