Bacteriophage SPO1 genes 33 and 34. Location and primary structure of genes encoding regulatory subunits of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase.

Bacteriophage SPO1 gene 33 and 34 products are required for SPO1 late gene transcription. Both proteins bind to the core RNA polymerase of the Bacillus subtilis host to direct the recognition of SPO1 late gene promoters, whose sequences differ from those of SPO1 early and middle gene promoters. We have located and cloned the genes for these two regulatory proteins, and have engineered their expression in Escherichia coli by placing them under the control of the bacteriophage lambda PL promoter. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that genes 33 and 34 overlap by 4 base-pairs and encode highly charged, slightly basic proteins of molecular weight 11,902 and 23,677, respectively.