Bacillus subtilis

Regulatory network of anaerobic adaptation of Bacillus subtilis

We analyse the gene expression under aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions to study the adaptation of Bacillus subtilis to anaerobic environmental conditions and search for regulatory proteins involved in this process. The two component regulatory system ResDE, the redox regulator Fnr and the transcriptional modulator ArfM could be identified as part of the regulatory network. We found that next to the anaerobic regulation in the presence of nitrate, genes of the nitrate respiration are induced and genes of fermentative pathways are repressed. This is mediated by the Rex repressor, who is regulated by the NAD+/NADH ratio in the cell.

Main topics:

• Functional characterisation and structural analysis of B. subtilis Fnr
• Identification and characterization of anaerobically induced small RNAs
• Mutagenesis and functional analysis of the ResE histidine kinase
• The teterolog production and crystallisation of the DNA binding domain of the AlsR regulator
• Analysis of small proteins involved in anaerobic regulation and metabolism