Abstract
Bacillus subtilis is a sporulating Gram-positive bacteria that is capable of producing a/b-type small acid-soluble spore proteins (SASPs) as a method of DNA photoprotection. One particularly prominent SASP found in B. subtilis is known as SspC. SspC protects the DNA of B. subtilis from wavelengths of light in the ultraviolet (UV) range. The goal was to assess whether the expression of the gene coding for SspC, previously only observed in sporulating bacteria, is dependent on the ability of the species to produce spores (Setlow et al., 1991). The experiment involved the cloning of the SspC in the B. subtilis gene via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The cloned gene was then to be transformed into to Escherichia coli via a plasmid vector. The wildtype B. subtilis, the wildtype E. coli, and the modified E. coli were to be exposed to UV light for varying intervals of time and the survival rate of the different bacteria were to be compared. The experiment did not make it past the cloning stage in the given amount of time due to difficulties extracting DNA from B. subtilis with the provided materials. Future methods would involve using a DNA isolation kit specifically designed for Gram-positive bacteria to ensure successful DNA isolation. Should the expression of SspC eventually be accomplished in E. coli, it may have implications in understanding the biochemical pathway related to expression of spore proteins. Such knowledge may lead to new possibilities within the field of genetic engineering.
