ComA

• Description: two-component system response regulator, controls gene expression in response to cell density (concentration of ComX)
  
  

Gene name	comA
Synonyms	srfB, comAA
Essential	no
Product	two-component system response regulator
Function	regulation of genetic competence and quorum sensing
MW, pI	23 kDa, 4.759
Gene length, protein length	642 bp, 214 aa
Immediate neighbours	yuxO, comP
Get the DNA and protein sequences (Barbe et al., 2009)
Genetic context This image was kindly provided by SubtiList

The gene

Basic information

• Locus tag: BSU31680

Database entries

• DBTBS entry: [1]

• SubtiList entry: [2]

Categories containing this gene/protein

genetic competence, transcription factors and their control, quorum sensing, phosphoproteins

The protein

Basic information/ Evolution

• Catalyzed reaction/ biological activity:

• Protein family: ComA family (according to Swiss-Prot)

• Paralogous protein(s):

Extended information on the protein

• Kinetic information:

• Domains:

• Modification: phosphorylated by ComP on an Asp residue

• Cofactor(s):

• Effectors of protein activity: phosphorylation activates DNA binding, DNA-binding activity of ComA is inhibited by RapC PubMed, RapD PubMed, RapF PubMed, RapH PubMed and RapK PubMed

• Interactions: RapC-ComA PubMed, RapF-ComA PubMed, RapH-ComA PubMed, ComP-ComA

• Localization: cytoplasm (according to Swiss-Prot)

Database entries

• Structure: 1U83

• UniProt: P14204

• KEGG entry: [3]

• E.C. number: 4.4.1.19

Expression and regulation

• Operon: comA-yuxO PubMed

• Sigma factor: SigA PubMed

• Regulation:

• Regulatory mechanism:

• Additional information:

Biological materials

• Mutant:

• Expression vector:

• lacZ fusion:

• GFP fusion:

• two-hybrid system:

• Antibody:

References

Reviews

Daniel López, Roberto Kolter
Extracellular signals that define distinct and coexisting cell fates in Bacillus subtilis.
FEMS Microbiol Rev: 2010, 34(2);134-49
[PubMed:20030732] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Leendert W Hamoen, Gerard Venema, Oscar P Kuipers
Controlling competence in Bacillus subtilis: shared use of regulators.
Microbiology (Reading): 2003, 149(Pt 1);9-17
[PubMed:12576575] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Original Publications

Carey A Hobbs, Benjamin G Bobay, Richele J Thompson, Marta Perego, John Cavanagh
NMR solution structure and DNA-binding model of the DNA-binding domain of competence protein A.
J Mol Biol: 2010, 398(2);248-63
[PubMed:20302877] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Xiaoyu Wang, Chuping Luo, Youzhou Liu, Yafeng Nie, Yongfeng Liu, Rongsheng Zhang, Zhiyi Chen
Three non-aspartate amino acid mutations in the ComA Response regulator receiver motif severely decrease surfactin production, competence development and spore formation in Bacillus subtilis.
J Microbiol Biotechnol: 2010, 20(2);301-10
[PubMed:20208433] [WorldCat.org] (P 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)

Wiep Klaas Smits, Cristina Bongiorni, Jan-Willem Veening, Leendert W Hamoen, Oscar P Kuipers, Marta Perego
Temporal separation of distinct differentiation pathways by a dual specificity Rap-Phr system in Bacillus subtilis.
Mol Microbiol: 2007, 65(1);103-20
[PubMed:17581123] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Mitsuo Ogura, Yasutaro Fujita
Bacillus subtilis rapD, a direct target of transcription repression by RghR, negatively regulates srfA expression.
FEMS Microbiol Lett: 2007, 268(1);73-80
[PubMed:17227471] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Jennifer M Auchtung, Catherine A Lee, Alan D Grossman
Modulation of the ComA-dependent quorum response in Bacillus subtilis by multiple Rap proteins and Phr peptides.
J Bacteriol: 2006, 188(14);5273-85
[PubMed:16816200] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Cristina Bongiorni, Shu Ishikawa, Sophie Stephenson, Naotake Ogasawara, Marta Perego
Synergistic regulation of competence development in Bacillus subtilis by two Rap-Phr systems.
J Bacteriol: 2005, 187(13);4353-61
[PubMed:15968044] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Leighton Core, Marta Perego
TPR-mediated interaction of RapC with ComA inhibits response regulator-DNA binding for competence development in Bacillus subtilis.
Mol Microbiol: 2003, 49(6);1509-22
[PubMed:12950917] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Huang-Mo Sung, Ronald E Yasbin
Adaptive, or stationary-phase, mutagenesis, a component of bacterial differentiation in Bacillus subtilis.
J Bacteriol: 2002, 184(20);5641-53
[PubMed:12270822] [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)

A Yazgan, G Ozcengiz, M A Marahiel
Tn10 insertional mutations of Bacillus subtilis that block the biosynthesis of bacilysin.
Biochim Biophys Acta: 2001, 1518(1-2);87-94
[PubMed:11267663] [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)

M Persuh, K Turgay, I Mandic-Mulec, D Dubnau
The N- and C-terminal domains of MecA recognize different partners in the competence molecular switch.
Mol Microbiol: 1999, 33(4);886-94
[PubMed:10447896] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

C Fabret, V A Feher, J A Hoch
Two-component signal transduction in Bacillus subtilis: how one organism sees its world.
J Bacteriol: 1999, 181(7);1975-83
[PubMed:10094672] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

M Perego, J A Hoch
Cell-cell communication regulates the effects of protein aspartate phosphatases on the phosphorelay controlling development in Bacillus subtilis.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 1996, 93(4);1549-53
[PubMed:8643670] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

M Roggiani, D Dubnau
ComA, a phosphorylated response regulator protein of Bacillus subtilis, binds to the promoter region of srfA.
J Bacteriol: 1993, 175(10);3182-7
[PubMed:8387999] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Y Weinrauch, R Penchev, E Dubnau, I Smith, D Dubnau
A Bacillus subtilis regulatory gene product for genetic competence and sporulation resembles sensor protein members of the bacterial two-component signal-transduction systems.
Genes Dev: 1990, 4(5);860-72
[PubMed:2116363] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Y Weinrauch, N Guillen, D A Dubnau
Sequence and transcription mapping of Bacillus subtilis competence genes comB and comA, one of which is related to a family of bacterial regulatory determinants.
J Bacteriol: 1989, 171(10);5362-75
[PubMed:2507523] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)