ArticlePLoS genetics2014
Developmentally-regulated excision of the SPβ prophage reconstitutes a gene required for spore envelope maturation in Bacillus subtilis.
Article in PLoS genetics, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers.
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Who cites it
55 citing papers in PubMed, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- Revisiting the life cycle of temperate phages.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026Review
- From hijackers to architects: the role of prophages in bacterial genome evolution.Journal of bacteriology · 2026Review
- Disruption of bacteriophage integration site promotes rapid diversification of multicellular traits inMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- A Cell-Penetrating Peptide-Derived Fluorescent Probe for Selective Isolation of Bacterial Spores.Microbial biotechnology · 2026Article
- HtPIP: High-throughput phage isolation platform increases diversity and reduces isolation time using multiple bacteria.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Effects of bacteriophages on gut microbiome functionality.Gut microbes · 2025Review
- Lysogenic control of Bacillus subtilis morphology and fitness by Spbetavirus phi3T.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Real-time nanoscale investigation of spore coat assembly in Bacillus subtilis.Communications biology · 2025Article
- A phage-encoded counter-defense inhibits an NAD-degrading anti-phage defense system.PLoS genetics · 2025Article
- Article
- There and turn back again: the application of phage serine integrases in eukaryotic systems.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Review
- Visualization of Bacillus subtilis spore structure and germination using quick-freeze deep-etch electron microscopy.Microscopy (Oxford, England) · 2024Article
- Bacillus subtilis EpsA-O: A novel exopolysaccharide structure acting as an efficient adhesive in biofilms.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2024Article
- Draft genome ofMicrobiology resource announcements · 2024Article
- Microbial adaptation to spaceflight is correlated with bacteriophage-encoded functions.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Identification and characterization of integrated prophages and CRISPR-Cas system in Bacillus subtilis RS10 genome.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2024Article
- Article
- A Novel Prophage-like Insertion Element withinViruses · 2023Article
- Structural and functional characterization of MrpR, the master repressor of the Bacillus subtilis prophage SPβ.Nucleic acids research · 2023Article
- Lysogenic bacteriophages encoding arsenic resistance determinants promote bacterial community adaptation to arsenic toxicity.The ISME journal · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Temperate phages infect bacteria by injecting their DNA into bacterial cells, where it becomes incorporated into the host genome as a prophage. In the genome of Bacillus subtilis 168, an active prophage, SPβ, is inserted into a polysaccharide synthesis gene, spsM. Here, we show that a rearrangement occurs during sporulation to reconstitute a functional composite spsM gene by precise excision of SPβ from the chromosome. SPβ excision requires a putative site-specific recombinase, SprA, and an accessory protein, SprB. A minimized SPβ, where all the SPβ genes were deleted, except sprA and sprB, retained the SPβ excision activity during sporulation, demonstrating that sprA and sprB are necessary and sufficient for the excision. While expression of sprA was observed during vegetative growth, sprB was induced during sporulation and upon mitomycin C treatment, which triggers the phage lytic cycle. We also demonstrated that overexpression of sprB (but not of sprA) resulted in SPβ prophage excision without triggering the lytic cycle. These results suggest that sprB is the factor that controls the timing of phage excision. Furthermore, we provide evidence that spsM is essential for the addition of polysaccharides to the spore envelope. The presence of polysaccharides on the spore surface renders the spore hydrophilic in water. This property may be beneficial in allowing spores to disperse in natural environments via water flow. A similar rearrangement occurs in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42, where a SPβ-like element is excised during sporulation to reconstitute a polysaccharide synthesis gene, suggesting that this type of gene rearrangement is common in spore-forming bacteria because it can be spread by phage infection.
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Registered trials
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