Template specificity and subunits of RNA polymerase from asporogenous mutants of Bacillus subtilis.

Abstract

In order to investigate relations between template specificity of RNA polymerase and sporulation, RNA polymerase activities in partially purified preparations from various asporogenous mutants were measured with poly[d(A-T)] or DNA from phage PBS 15 as template. Results obtained suggest that morphological changes occurring during sporulation may not be tightly linked temporally to transcriptional events.Subunits of RNA polymerase from these mutants were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after purification by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, phosphocellulose chromatography, and glycerol gradient centrifugation. Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride was present throughout the purification procedure to prevent proteolytic degradation. It was found that β and β′ subunits were present in 1:1 ratio in all preparations. In addition to β, β′, and α subunits, a protein having a molecular weight of 95 000 was found in enzyme preparations from a wild-type strain and stage II mutants harvested at t5–t9. This protein was absent in stage 0 mutants and in all strains harvested in log phase. The enzyme containing this protein was eluted from phosphocellulose column with 0.6 M KCl rather than 0.35 M KCl, which eluted the enzyme without the 95 000 dalton protein. Furthermore the enzyme with this protein showed a sedimentation coefficient higher than that of the enzyme without the 95 000 dalton protein.