How the early sporulation sigma factor sigmaF delays the switch to late development in Bacillus subtilis.

Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis is a primitive differentiation process involving two cell types, the forespore and the mother cell. Each cell implements two successive transcription programmes controlled by specific sigma factors. We report that activity of sigma(G), the late forespore sigma factor, is kept in check by Gin, the product of csfB, a gene controlled by sigma(F), the early forespore sigma factor.

Peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase in Bacillus subtilis, encoded by spoVC, is essential to vegetative growth, whereas the homologous enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is dispensable.

Peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase in Escherichia coli, encoded by pth, is essential for recycling tRNA molecules sequestered as peptidyl-tRNA as a result of pre-mature dissociation from the ribosome during translation. Genes homologous to pth are present in other bacteria, yeast and man, but not in archaea. The homologous gene in Bacillus subtilis, spoVC, was first identified as a gene involved in sporulation.