SkfA

• Description: spore killing factor
  
  

Gene name	skfA
Synonyms	ybcO
Essential	no
Product	spore killing factor
Function	killing of sister cells
Gene expression levels in SubtiExpress: skfA
Interactions involving this protein in SubtInteract: SkfA
MW, pI	5 kDa, 10.648
Gene length, protein length	165 bp, 55 aa
Immediate neighbours	ybcM, skfB
Sequences	Protein DNA DNA_with_flanks
Genetic context This image was kindly provided by SubtiList
Expression at a glance   PubMed

Categories containing this gene/protein

toxins, antitoxins and immunity against toxins

This gene is a member of the following regulons

AbrB regulon, PhoP regulon, Spo0A regulon

The gene

Basic information

• Locus tag: BSU01910

Database entries

• DBTBS entry: [1]

• SubtiList entry: [2]

The protein

Basic information/ Evolution

• Catalyzed reaction/ biological activity:

• Protein family:

• Paralogous protein(s):

Extended information on the protein

• Kinetic information:

• Domains:

• Modification: the mature SKF is cyclic 26-amino acid peptide that is posttranslationally modified with one disulfide and one cysteine thioether bridged to the alpha-position of a methionine PubMed, the thioether bond is generated by SkfB PubMed

• Cofactor(s):

• Effectors of protein activity:

• Interactions:
  • SkfA-SkfB PubMed

• Localization: secreted (according to Swiss-Prot)

Database entries

• Structure:

• UniProt: O31422

• KEGG entry: [3]

• E.C. number:

Expression and regulation

• Operon: skfA-skfB-skfC-skfE-skfF-skfG-skfH PubMed

• Expression browser: skfA PubMed

• Sigma factor: SigA PubMed

• Regulation:
  • repressed by glucose (33-fold) PubMed
  • expressed under conditions that trigger sporulation (Spo0A) PubMed
  • repressed during logrithmic growth (AbrB) PubMed
  • induced by phosphate starvation (PhoP) PubMed
  • induced by rhamnogalacturonan PubMed

• Regulatory mechanism:
  • Spo0A: transcription activation PubMed
  • AbrB: transcription repression PubMed
  • PhoP: transcription activation PubMed

• Additional information:
  • Northern blotting during during phosphate limitation showed an intense 0.25 kb skfA-specific transcript, and a weaker 6.5 kb skfA-skfB-skfC-skfE-skfF-skfG-skfH transcript.
  • The skfA transcript is stabilized by a stem-loop structure in the skfA-skfB intergenic region. PubMed
  • The mRNA is very stable (half-life > 15 min) PubMed

Biological materials

• Mutant:

• Expression vector:

• lacZ fusion:

• GFP fusion:

• two-hybrid system:

• Antibody:

References

Reviews

José Eduardo González-Pastor
Cannibalism: a social behavior in sporulating Bacillus subtilis.
FEMS Microbiol Rev: 2011, 35(3);415-24
[PubMed:20955377] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Original Publications

Additional publications: PubMed

Allison V Banse, Arnaud Chastanet, Lilah Rahn-Lee, Errett C Hobbs, Richard Losick
Parallel pathways of repression and antirepression governing the transition to stationary phase in Bacillus subtilis.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2008, 105(40);15547-52
[PubMed:18840696] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Mark A Strauch, Benjamin G Bobay, John Cavanagh, Fude Yao, Angelo Wilson, Yoann Le Breton
Abh and AbrB control of Bacillus subtilis antimicrobial gene expression.
J Bacteriol: 2007, 189(21);7720-32
[PubMed:17720793] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Akihito Ochiai, Takafumi Itoh, Akiko Kawamata, Wataru Hashimoto, Kousaku Murata
Plant cell wall degradation by saprophytic Bacillus subtilis strains: gene clusters responsible for rhamnogalacturonan depolymerization.
Appl Environ Microbiol: 2007, 73(12);3803-13
[PubMed:17449691] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Nicholas E E Allenby, Carys A Watts, Georg Homuth, Zoltán Prágai, Anil Wipat, Alan C Ward, Colin R Harwood
Phosphate starvation induces the sporulation killing factor of Bacillus subtilis.
J Bacteriol: 2006, 188(14);5299-303
[PubMed:16816204] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Helga Westers, Peter G Braun, Lidia Westers, Haike Antelmann, Michael Hecker, Jan D H Jongbloed, Hirofumi Yoshikawa, Teruo Tanaka, Jan Maarten van Dijl, Wim J Quax
Genes involved in SkfA killing factor production protect a Bacillus subtilis lipase against proteolysis.
Appl Environ Microbiol: 2005, 71(4);1899-908
[PubMed:15812018] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Masaya Fujita, José Eduardo González-Pastor, Richard Losick
High- and low-threshold genes in the Spo0A regulon of Bacillus subtilis.
J Bacteriol: 2005, 187(4);1357-68
[PubMed:15687200] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Virginie Molle, Masaya Fujita, Shane T Jensen, Patrick Eichenberger, José E González-Pastor, Jun S Liu, Richard Losick
The Spo0A regulon of Bacillus subtilis.
Mol Microbiol: 2003, 50(5);1683-701
[PubMed:14651647] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

G Hambraeus, C von Wachenfeldt, L Hederstedt
Genome-wide survey of mRNA half-lives in Bacillus subtilis identifies extremely stable mRNAs.
Mol Genet Genomics: 2003, 269(5);706-14
[PubMed:12884008] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Hans-Matti Blencke, Georg Homuth, Holger Ludwig, Ulrike Mäder, Michael Hecker, Jörg Stülke
Transcriptional profiling of gene expression in response to glucose in Bacillus subtilis: regulation of the central metabolic pathways.
Metab Eng: 2003, 5(2);133-49
[PubMed:12850135] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

José E González-Pastor, Errett C Hobbs, Richard Losick
Cannibalism by sporulating bacteria.
Science: 2003, 301(5632);510-3
[PubMed:12817086] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)