The ylbO gene product of Bacillus subtilis is involved in the coat development and lysozyme resistance of spore

The Bacillus subtilis YlbO protein is a Myb-like DNA binding domain-containing protein that is expressed under the control of SigE. Here, we analyzed gene expression and protein composition in ylbO-negative cells. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the protein profile of ylbO- negative spores differed from that of wild-type. Specifically, the expression of coat proteins CgeA, CotG, and CotY, which are controlled by SigK and GerE, was reduced in ylbO -negative cells. Northern blot analysis revealed that YlbO regulated the transcription of cgeA, cotG, and cotY. These results suggest that YlbO regulates the expression of some coat proteins during sporulation in B. subtilis directly or indirectly.