Bacillus subtilis is the best-characterized member of the Gram-positive bacteria. Its genome of 4,214,810 base pairs comprises 4,100 protein-coding genes. Of these protein-coding genes, 53% are represented once, while a quarter of the genome corresponds to several gene families that have been greatly expanded by gene duplication, the largest family containing 77 putative ATP-binding transport proteins. In addition, a large proportion of the genetic capacity is devoted to the utilization of a variety of carbon sources, including many plant-derived molecules. The identification of five signal peptidase genes, as well as several genes for components of the secretion apparatus, is important given the capacity of Bacillus strains to secrete large amounts of industrially important enzymes. Many of the genes are involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites, including antibiotics, that are more typically associated with Streptomyces species. The genome contains at least ten prophages or remnants of prophages, indicating that bacteriophage infection has played an important evolutionary role in horizontal gene transfer, in particular in the propagation of bacterial pathogenesis.
Title: A 12 kb nucleotide sequence containing the alanine dehydrogenase gene at 279 degrees on the Bacillus subtilis chromosome Oudega B, Vandenbol M, Koningstein G Ref: Microbiology, 143 ( Pt 5):1489, 1997 : PubMed
In the framework of the European project aimed at the sequencing of the Bacillus subtilis genome, a DNA fragment of 12315 bp was cloned and sequenced. The DNA fragment is located between rrnB (275 degrees) and pai (284 degrees). Twelve ORFs were predicted to encode putative proteins. Two of these (ald and yukl) coincided with known B. subtilis genes. The products of two other genes (yukK and yukL) showed significant similarity to known proteins present in databases, e.g. pyoverdin synthase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and pristinamycin synthase D of Streptomyces pristinaespiralis.
