Summary
Spore control (Sco) mutants were isolated after nitrosoguanidine-induced mutagenesis of germinated spores. They were recognized as colonies showing high proteolytic activity on protein-agar (generally elastin-agar) test plates. Fourteen such mutants were isolated. The Sco mutations were transferred by transformation into an isogenic collection of genetically marked strains. Most of them appeared to be single mutations. Transduction experiments permitted the localisation of six Sco mutants in three loci, all in the argC-metC region. ScoA is located between argC and metC, ScoB is to the right of metC and ScoC is to the left of argC. ScoC and the previously described catA mutation are probably placed in the same gene.
Two ScoC strains also appear to carry a second mutation, ScoD, probably localised in the same locus as ScoB or in a locus close to it. Eight other Sco mutations, apparently unlinked to the argC-metC region, were not localised. The results indicate complex regulation of sporulation-associated products such as the proteases, dependent on several genes.
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Milhaud, P., Balassa, G. & Zucca, J. Spore control (Sco) mutations in Bacillus subtilis . Molec. Gen. Genet. 163, 35–44 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268962
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268962