Summary: The most common effect of transposon insertion is the inactivation of genes. However, in some cases, transposons can activate in cis the expression of genes in the neighbourhood of their integration site. We previously described an insertion of the transposon Tn917 into the Bacillus subtilis sacXY locus. sacX and sacY encode respectively a negative and a positive regulator involved in induction by sucrose of the exoenzyme levansucrase. Data in this paper show that the Tn917 insertion had two effects: it inactivated sacX and it increased the transcription of sacY. The latter effect involved one or several elements internal to the transposon.
AymerichS.,
SteinmetzM.1987; Cloning and preliminary characterization of the sacS locus from Bacillus subtilis which controls the regulation of the exoenzyme levansucrase. Molecular and General Genetics 208:114–120
AymerichS.,
Gonzy-TreboulG.,
SteinmetzM.1986; 5′-Noncoding region sacR is the target of all identified regulation affecting the levansucrase gene in Bacillus subtilis
. Journal of Bacteriology 166:993–998
CiampiM. S.,
SchmidM. B.,
RothJ. R.1982; Transposon Tn10 provides a promoter for transcription of adjacent genes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America795016–5020
CrutzA. M.,
SteinmetzM.,
AymerichS.,
RichterR.,
Le CoqD.1990; Induction of levansucrase in Bacillus subtilis an antitermination mechanism negatively controlled by the phospho-transferase system. Journal of Bacteriology 111:1043–1050
HennerD. J.,
YangM.,
BandL.,
ShimotsuH.,
RuppenM.,
FerrariE.1987; Genes of Bacillus subtilis that regulate the expression of degradative enzymes. In Genetics of Industrial MicroorganismsProceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on the Genetics of Industrial Microorganisms81–90AlacevicM.,
HranueliD.,
TomanZ.
Karlovac: Ognjen Prica Printing Works;
LepesantJ. A.,
KunstF.,
PascalM.,
Lepesant-KejzlarovaJ.,
SteinmetzM.,
DedonderR.1976; Specific and pleiotropic regulatory mechanisms in the sucrose system of B. subtilis 168. In Microbiology 197658–69SchlessingerD.
Washington DC: American Society for Microbiology;
MurphyE.1989; Transposable elements in Gram-positive bacteria. In Mobile DNA269–288BergD. E.,
HoweM. M.
Washington DC: American Society for Microbiology;
PeregoM.,
SpiegelmanG. B.,
HochJ. A.1988; Structure of the gene for the transition state regulator, abrB regulator synthesis is controlled by the spoOA sporulating gene in Bacillus subtilis
. Molecular Microbiology2689–699
PerkinsJ. B.,
YoungmanP. J.1984; A physical and functional analysis of Tn9/7, a Streptococcus transposon in the Tni family that functions in Bacillus
. Plasmid 12:119–138
SteinmetzM.,
AymerichS.,
Le CoqD.,
Gonzy-TreboulG.1988; Levansucrase induction by sucrose in Bacillus subtilis involves an antiterminator. Homology with the Escherichia coli bgl operon. In Genetics and Biotechnology of Bacilli211–16GanesanA. T.,
HochJ. A.
New York London: Academic Press;
TanakaT.,
KawataM.1986; Enhanced gene expression in Bacillus subtilis by Escherichia coli insertion sequences, IS5 and IS1. In Bacillus Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Applications467–477GanesanA. T.,
HochJ. A.
New York London: Academic Press;
VandeyarM. A.,
MackeyC. J.,
LipskyR. H.,
ZahlerS. A.1986; The ilvBC-leu operon of Bacillus subtilis
. In Bacillus Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Applications295–305GanesanA. T.,
HochJ. A.
New York London: Academic Press;
YoungmanP.1987; Plasmid vectors for recovering and exploiting Tn9/7 transpositions in Bacillus and other Gram-positive bacteria. In Plasmids: a Practical Approach79–103HardyK.
Oxford: IRL Press;
YoungmanP.,
ZuberP.,
PerkinsJ. B.,
SandmanK.,
IgoM.,
LosickR.1985; New ways to study developmental genes in spore-forming bacteria. Science 228:285–290
ZukowskiM.,
MillerL.,
CogswellP.,
ChenK.1988; An inducible expression system based on sucrose metabolism genes of Bacillus subtilis
. In Genetics and Biotechnology of Bacilli217–22GanesanA. T.,
HochJ. A.
New York London: Academic Press;
ZukowskiM.,
MillerL.,
CogswellP.,
ChenK.,
AymerichS.,
SteinmetzJ.1990; Nucleotide sequence of the sacS locus of Bacillus subtilis reveals the presence of two regulatory genes. Gene 90:153–155