RUI: Molecules that Modulate Motility in Bacillus subtilis

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Motility and chemotaxis functions are not only complex behaviors in Bacillus subtilis important to cell survival in nutrient deprived and toxic environments, but require multi-level regulation of the cognate genes. However, additional strategies for survival, including sporulation, exist, and the elaboration of the structures required for motility is biosynthetically costly to the cell. Therefore, flagellar gene expression in B. subtilis must be sensitive to the global state of the cell. On-going research in this laboratory is dedicated to understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms that monitor the nutritional state of the cell and control flagellar gene expression. Another means of conserving biosynthetic energy is by structural regulation of the flagellin gene that encodes the main component of the flagellar filament by FlgM. FlgM is an anti-sigma factor that inhibits flagellin gene expression until the multi-protein structure that tethers the filament is functionally assembled. The molecular nature of this control, as well as the mechanism that allows for FlgM inhibition by a bacterial structure, has not been determined in B. subtlis. Therefore, this project is focused on defining the specifics of FlgM control, and of its morphogenetic regulation. This work promises to provide insight into nutritional and structural regulation of an important bacterial behavior. Further, these studies are an important part of the educational activities in the Biology department at San Francisco State University and will benefit the training of undergraduate and masters degree students, many of whom are members of underrepresented minority groups in science.