ComX

• Description: competence pheromone precursor, transfers cell density signal to ComP; triggers the production of surfactin
  
  

Gene name	comX
Synonyms
Essential	no
Product	competence pheromone precursor
Function	quorum sensing
Gene expression levels in SubtiExpress: comX
Interactions involving this protein in SubtInteract: ComX
MW, pI	6 kDa, 4.358
Gene length, protein length	165 bp, 55 aa
Immediate neighbours	comP, comQ
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

genetic competence, quorum sensing

The gene

Basic information

• Locus tag: BSU31700

Phenotypes of a mutant

• the mutation suppresses the mucoid phenotype of motA or motB mutants due to loss of DegU phosphorylation and concomitant reduced expression of the pgsB-pgsC-pgsA operon PubMed

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:
  • is synthesized as an inactive precursor, cleaved, and modified (prenylated) by ComQ prior to excretion PubMed

• Cofactors:

• Effectors of protein activity:

• Interactions:
  • ComQ-ComX PubMed

• Localization:
  • secreted (according to Swiss-Prot)

Database entries

• Structure:

• UniProt: P45453

• KEGG entry: [3]

• E.C. number:

Expression and regulation

• Operon: comQ-comX PubMed

• Expression browser: comX PubMed

• Sigma factor: SigA PubMed

• Regulation:

• Regulatory mechanism:

• Additional information:

Biological materials

• Mutant:

• Expression vector:

• lacZ fusion:

• GFP fusion:

• two-hybrid system:

• Antibody:

Your additional remarks

The ComX --> surfactin signaling pathway is an example for paracrine signaling in bacteria

References

Reviews

Elizabeth Anne Shank, Roberto Kolter
Extracellular signaling and multicellularity in Bacillus subtilis.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2011, 14(6);741-7
[PubMed:22024380] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Original publications

Jia Mun Chan, Sarah B Guttenplan, Daniel B Kearns
Defects in the flagellar motor increase synthesis of poly-γ-glutamate in Bacillus subtilis.
J Bacteriol: 2014, 196(4);740-53
[PubMed:24296669] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Fumitada Tsuji, Ayako Ishihara, Aya Nakagawa, Masahiro Okada, Shigeyuki Kitamura, Kyoko Kanamaru, Yuichi Masuda, Kazuma Murakami, Kazuhiro Irie, Youji Sakagami
Lack of the consensus sequence necessary for tryptophan prenylation in the ComX pheromone precursor.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem: 2012, 76(8);1492-6
[PubMed:22878193] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Ju Jung, Kyung Ok Yu, Ahmad Bazli Ramzi, Se Hoon Choe, Seung Wook Kim, Sung Ok Han
Improvement of surfactin production in Bacillus subtilis using synthetic wastewater by overexpression of specific extracellular signaling peptides, comX and phrC.
Biotechnol Bioeng: 2012, 109(9);2349-56
[PubMed:22511326] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Fumitada Tsuji, Ko Kobayashi, Masahiro Okada, Hisao Yamaguchi, Makoto Ojika, Youji Sakagami
The geranyl-modified tryptophan residue is crucial for ComXRO-E-2 pheromone biological activity.
Bioorg Med Chem Lett: 2011, 21(13);4041-4
[PubMed:21636272] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daniel López, Hera Vlamakis, Richard Losick, Roberto Kolter
Paracrine signaling in a bacterium.
Genes Dev: 2009, 23(14);1631-8
[PubMed:19605685] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Kassem Hamze, Daria Julkowska, Sabine Autret, Krzysztof Hinc, Krzysztofa Nagorska, Agnieszka Sekowska, I Barry Holland, Simone J Séror
Identification of genes required for different stages of dendritic swarming in Bacillus subtilis, with a novel role for phrC.
Microbiology (Reading): 2009, 155(Pt 2);398-412
[PubMed:19202088] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Masahiro Okada, Hisao Yamaguchi, Isao Sato, Soo Jeong Cho, David Dubnau, Youji Sakagami
Structure-activity relationship studies on quorum sensing ComX(RO-E-2) pheromone.
Bioorg Med Chem Lett: 2007, 17(6);1705-7
[PubMed:17240141] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Masahiro Okada, Isao Sato, Soo Jeong Cho, Hidehisa Iwata, Toshihiko Nishio, David Dubnau, Youji Sakagami
Structure of the Bacillus subtilis quorum-sensing peptide pheromone ComX.
Nat Chem Biol: 2005, 1(1);23-4
[PubMed:16407988] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Masahiro Okada, Isao Sato, Soo Jeong Cho, Yoshihiro Suzuki, Makoto Ojika, David Dubnau, Youji Sakagami
Towards structural determination of the ComX pheromone: synthetic studies on peptides containing geranyltryptophan.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem: 2004, 68(11);2374-87
[PubMed:15564679] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

M Ansaldi, D Dubnau
Diversifying selection at the Bacillus quorum-sensing locus and determinants of modification specificity during synthesis of the ComX pheromone.
J Bacteriol: 2004, 186(1);15-21
[PubMed:14679219] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Mireille Ansaldi, Darja Marolt, Tina Stebe, Ines Mandic-Mulec, David Dubnau
Specific activation of the Bacillus quorum-sensing systems by isoprenylated pheromone variants.
Mol Microbiol: 2002, 44(6);1561-73
[PubMed:12067344] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

P Tortosa, L Logsdon, B Kraigher, Y Itoh, I Mandic-Mulec, D Dubnau
Specificity and genetic polymorphism of the Bacillus competence quorum-sensing system.
J Bacteriol: 2001, 183(2);451-60
[PubMed:11133937] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Y Weinrauch, T Msadek, F Kunst, D Dubnau
Sequence and properties of comQ, a new competence regulatory gene of Bacillus subtilis.
J Bacteriol: 1991, 173(18);5685-93
[PubMed:1715859] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)