Complete nucleotide sequence of a skin element excised by DNA rearrangement during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

SUMMARY: As part of the Bacillus subtilis genome sequencing project, we have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of a skin element which is located between spolVCB and spolllC. The entire sequence of this element is 48032 bp in length, and contains 57 ORFs with putative ribosome-binding sites. Two of them correspond to previously sequenced and characterized genes, cwlA and spolVCA. Furthermore, seven ORF products identified in this element show interesting similarities with known proteins present in data banks, including the ø105 immunity repressor, the ø105 Cro-like protein and the SPP1 terminase. These results indicate the possibility that the skin element is a cryptic remnant of an ancestral temperate phage.