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SummaryThe competent state is a developmentally distinct phase, in which bacteria are able to take up and integrate exogenous DNA into their genome.Bacillus subtilisis one of the naturally competent bacterial species and the domesticated laboratory strain 168 is easily transformable. In this study, we report a reduced transformation frequency ofB. subtilismutants lacking functional and structural flagellar components. This includeshag, the gene encoding the flagellin protein forming the filament of the flagellum. We confirm that the observed decrease of the transformation frequency is due to reduced expression of competence genes, particularly of the main competence regulatorcomK. The impaired competence is due to an increase in the phosphorylated form of the response regulator DegU, which is involved in regulation of both flagellar motility and competence. Altogether, our study identified a close link between motility and natural competence inB. subtilissuggesting that hindrance in motility has great impact on differentiation of this bacterium not restricted only to the transition towards sessile growth stage.Originality-Significance statementUnderstanding how versatile bacterial phenotypes influence each other is important for our basic understanding of microbial ecology. Our research highlights the novel intertwinement of bacterial differentiation and reveal how lack of single cell motility adjusts DNA exchange among bacterial strains. |
