SwrAA/1

• Description: control of motility, enhances sigD transcription, inactive pseudogene in strain 168
  
  

Gene name	swrA
Synonyms	yvzD, swrAA, ifm
Essential	no
Product	swarming motility protein
Function	essential for swarming differentiation on solid surfaces
MW, pI	13 kDa, 8.4
Gene length, protein length	336 bp, 112 aa
Immediate neighbours	minJ, swrAA/2
Gene sequence (+200bp)	Protein sequence
Genetic context This image was kindly provided by SubtiList

Categories containing this gene/protein

biofilm formation, motility and chemotaxis, pseudogenes

The gene

Basic information

• Locus tag: BSU35230

Database entries

• DBTBS entry: no entry

• SubtiList entry: [1]

Additional information

• This protein is functional in undomesticated strains of B.subtilis but not in laboratory strains, such as 168, because of a frameshift mutation. Therefore laboratory strains of B.subtilis are unable to swarm.
• The frameshift in strain 168 is caused by a single insertion of an adenine in the codon for Tyr-12 which leads to the premature truncation of the protein in residue 13. In addition, the C-terminal section of swrAA was predicted to be an ORF (yvzD) by the genome project.
• Correction of sfp, epsC, swrAA, and degQ as well as introduction of rapP from a plasmid present in NCIB3610 results in biofilm formation in B. subtilis 168 PubMed

The protein

Basic information/ Evolution

• Catalyzed reaction/ biological activity:

• Protein family:

• Paralogous protein(s):

Extended information on the protein

• Kinetic information:

• Domains:

• Modification:

• Cofactor(s):

• Effectors of protein activity:

• Interactions:

• Localization: cytoplasm (according to Swiss-Prot)

Database entries

• Structure:

• Swiss prot entry: O32266

• KEGG entry: [2]

• E.C. number:

Expression and regulation

• Operon: swrAA-minJ PubMed

• Sigma factor: SigD PubMed, SigA PubMed

• Regulation:

• Regulatory mechanism:
  • DegU-P: transcription activation (SigA promoter) PubMed

• Additional information:

Biological materials

• Mutant:

• Expression vector:

• lacZ fusion:

• GFP fusion:

• two-hybrid system:

• Antibody:

References

Original publications

Kassem Hamze, Sabine Autret, Krzysztof Hinc, Soumaya Laalami, Daria Julkowska, Romain Briandet, Margareth Renault, Cédric Absalon, I Barry Holland, Harald Putzer, Simone J Séror
Single-cell analysis in situ in a Bacillus subtilis swarming community identifies distinct spatially separated subpopulations differentially expressing hag (flagellin), including specialized swarmers.
Microbiology (Reading): 2011, 157(Pt 9);2456-2469
[PubMed:21602220] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Anna L McLoon, Sarah B Guttenplan, Daniel B Kearns, Roberto Kolter, Richard Losick
Tracing the domestication of a biofilm-forming bacterium.
J Bacteriol: 2011, 193(8);2027-34
[PubMed:21278284] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Joyce E Patrick, Daniel B Kearns
Laboratory strains of Bacillus subtilis do not exhibit swarming motility.
J Bacteriol: 2009, 191(22);7129-33
[PubMed:19749039] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Cecilia Osera, Giuseppe Amati, Cinzia Calvio, Alessandro Galizzi
SwrAA activates poly-gamma-glutamate synthesis in addition to swarming in Bacillus subtilis.
Microbiology (Reading): 2009, 155(Pt 7);2282-2287
[PubMed:19389763] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Cinzia Calvio, Cecilia Osera, Giuseppe Amati, Alessandro Galizzi
Autoregulation of swrAA and motility in Bacillus subtilis.
J Bacteriol: 2008, 190(16);5720-8
[PubMed:18567663] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daniel B Kearns, Richard Losick
Cell population heterogeneity during growth of Bacillus subtilis.
Genes Dev: 2005, 19(24);3083-94
[PubMed:16357223] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Nicola R Stanley, Beth A Lazazzera
Defining the genetic differences between wild and domestic strains of Bacillus subtilis that affect poly-gamma-dl-glutamic acid production and biofilm formation.
Mol Microbiol: 2005, 57(4);1143-58
[PubMed:16091050] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Cinzia Calvio, Francesco Celandroni, Emilia Ghelardi, Giuseppe Amati, Sara Salvetti, Fabrizio Ceciliani, Alessandro Galizzi, Sonia Senesi
Swarming differentiation and swimming motility in Bacillus subtilis are controlled by swrA, a newly identified dicistronic operon.
J Bacteriol: 2005, 187(15);5356-66
[PubMed:16030230] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Daniel B Kearns, Frances Chu, Rivka Rudner, Richard Losick
Genes governing swarming in Bacillus subtilis and evidence for a phase variation mechanism controlling surface motility.
Mol Microbiol: 2004, 52(2);357-69
[PubMed:15066026] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)