Glycogen in Bacillus subtilis: molecular characterization of an operon encoding enzymes involved in glycogen biosynthesis and degradation

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Abstract
Although it has never been reported that Bacillus subtilis is capable of accumulating glycogen, we have isolated a region from the chromosome of B. subtilis containing a glycogen operon. The operon is located directly downstream from trnB, which maps at 275 on the B. subtilis chromosome, it encodes five poly‐peptides with extensive similarity to enzymes involved in glycogen and starch metabolism in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The operon is presumably expressed by an EσE‐controlled promoter, which was previously identified downstream from trnB. We have observed glycogen biosynthesis in B. subtilis exclusively on media containing carbon sources that allow efficient sporulation. Sporulation‐independent synthesis of glycogen occurred after integration of an EσA controlled promoter upstream of the operon.
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