The Streptomyces coelicolor ssgB gene is required for early stages of sporulation

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 225; no. 1; pp. 59 - 67
• Main Authors: Keijser, Bart J.F, Noens, Elke E.E, Kraal, Barend, Koerten, Henk K, van Wezel, Gilles P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Elsevier B.V 08-08-2003; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell
• Subjects: Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - physiology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Cell division; Development; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Deletion; Gene disruption; Genes, Bacterial; Genetic Complementation Test; Genetics; Growth, nutrition, cell differenciation; Microbiology; Microscopy, Electron; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Phenotype; Sodium Chloride; Spores, Bacterial - genetics; Spores, Bacterial - physiology; Spores, Bacterial - ultrastructure; Sporulation; SsgA; Streptomyces; Streptomyces - genetics; Streptomyces - physiology; Streptomyces - ultrastructure; Streptomyces; Cell division; Development; Gene disruption; Sporulation; SsgA; Streptomycetaceae; Streptomyces coelicolor; Electron microscopy; Actinomycetales; Characterization; Polymerase chain reaction; Deletion; Bacteria; Actinomycetes; Fluorescence microscopy
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1097(03)00481-6

ssgB was identified as a novel early sporulation gene in
Streptomyces coelicolor. An
ssgB deletion mutant failed to sporulate, over-produced actinorhodin, and its colonies were significantly larger than those of the parental strain, suggesting an important role for the
ssgB gene product in the process of growth cessation prior to sporulation-specific cell division. This places
ssgB temporally before the paralogous sporulation gene
ssgA. Analysis of
ssgB mutant hyphae by electron microscopy and by confocal fluorescence microscopy showed that it was defective in the initiation of sporulation, as no sporulation septa could be identified, and DNA segregation had not yet been initiated in the mutant.