Ion-control gene spo0M (6.5-fold); pksA (6.7-fold), which codes for a transcriptional regulator of polyketide synthase; and yceD (3.7-fold), which is similar to tellurium resistance protein. Two thirds (12/18) of the genes were identified as sW responsive. However, no significantly different expression was found after 20 min of treatment, indicating that the induction of these genes was rapid and transient. Only 1 gene, ysnF (coding for a protein with unknown function), which is controlled by the general stress sB factor, was repressed (2.5 fold) at 5 min post treatment. These observations suggest that 15900046 fusaricidin rapidly induces a sW regulon response upon membrane damage. It is interesting that the fusaricidin treatment had no effect on the expression of the regulons controlled by other ECF sigma factors and the cell wall stress-related TCS systems (LiaRS, BceRS, PsdRS, YxdKJ, and YycFG). The strongest response to fusaricidin treatment was the induction of the yuaFGI operon (9.3- to 29-fold) and ymcC gene (approximately 17.6-fold). The yuaFGI operon contains 3 genes: yuaF (coding for membrane integrity integral inner membrane protein), yuaG (coding for flotillin-like protein), and yuaI (coding for acetyl-transferase, EC:2.3.1). The yuaFGI operon is also stronglyinduced by vancomycin [4] and the cationic antimicrobial peptide phosphatidylglycerol-1 (PG-1) [10]. yuaG is associated with negatively charged phospholipids, for example, PG or cardiolipin [11]. The gene ymcC, which encodes a transmembrane protein, is currently annotated as a hypothetical protein in the Subtilist and KEGG databases. A blastp homology search 478-01-3 web revealed that the ymcC gene was highly conserved in various species such as Bacillus and Mirin site Paenibacillus species. The gene cluster (fus cluster) for the fusaricidin biosynthetic pathway has been identified and characterized in Paenibacillus polymyxa PKB1 [12]. It is intriguing that upstream of this cluster is a 531-bp ORF encoding a putative protein of 177 amino acids; this protein exhibits greatest similarity to ymcC. The gene ymcC of B. subtilis also precedes a cluster of putative polyketide synthase genes. Taken together, these findings suggest that the membrane protein YmcC, which is regulated 
by the sW factor, may play a role in the action of antibiotics on bacteria. The BacLight kit 23727046 from Molecular Probes, Inc. (Eugene, Oreg.) was also used to examine fusaricidin-dependent membrane damage, as described by Hilliard [13]. In our previous study, cell membrane integrity damage was observed with B. subtilis 168 by fusaricidins at 46 MIC, whereas no damage was observed with the drug-free control. We subsequently confirmedMechanisms of Fusaricidins to Bacillus subtilisTable 1. The MIPS analysis of the differential genes at 20 min.FUNCTIONAL CATEGORY 01.01.03.03 metabolism of proline 01.01.03.03.01 biosynthesis of proline 01.01.09.07 metabolism of histidine 01.01.09.07.01 biosynthesis of histidine 01.03 nucleotide/nucleoside/nucleobase metabolism 01.03.01 purine nucleotide/nucleoside/nucleobase metabolism 01.03.01.03 purine nucleotide/nucleoside/nucleobase anabolism 01.03.04 pyrimidine nucleotide/nucleoside/nucleobase metabolism 02.25 oxidation of fatty acids 20 CELLULAR TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT FACILITIES, AND TRANSPORT ROUTES 20.01 transported compounds (substrates) 20.01.01 ion transport 20.01.01.01 cation transport (H+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, NH4+, etc.) 20.01.01.01.01 heavy metal ion transport (Cu+, Fe3+, etc.) 20.01.07 amino acid/amino.Ion-control gene spo0M (6.5-fold); pksA (6.7-fold), which codes for a transcriptional regulator of polyketide synthase; and yceD (3.7-fold), which is similar to tellurium resistance protein. Two thirds (12/18) of the genes were identified as sW responsive. However, no significantly different expression was found after 20 min of treatment, indicating that the induction of these genes was rapid and transient. Only 1 gene, ysnF (coding for a protein with unknown function), which is controlled by the general stress sB factor, was repressed (2.5 fold) at 5 min post treatment. These observations suggest that 15900046 fusaricidin rapidly induces a sW regulon response upon membrane damage. It is interesting that the fusaricidin treatment had no effect on the expression of the regulons controlled by other ECF sigma factors and the cell wall stress-related TCS systems (LiaRS, BceRS, PsdRS, YxdKJ, and YycFG). The strongest response to fusaricidin treatment was the induction of the yuaFGI operon (9.3- to 29-fold) and ymcC gene (approximately 17.6-fold). The yuaFGI operon contains 3 genes: yuaF (coding for membrane integrity integral inner membrane protein), yuaG (coding for flotillin-like protein), and yuaI (coding for acetyl-transferase, EC:2.3.1). The yuaFGI operon is also stronglyinduced by vancomycin [4] and the cationic antimicrobial peptide phosphatidylglycerol-1 (PG-1) [10]. yuaG is associated with negatively charged phospholipids, for example, PG or cardiolipin [11]. The gene ymcC, which encodes a transmembrane protein, is currently annotated as a hypothetical protein in the Subtilist and KEGG databases. A blastp homology search revealed that the ymcC gene was highly conserved in various species such as Bacillus and Paenibacillus species. The gene cluster (fus cluster) for the fusaricidin biosynthetic pathway has been identified and characterized in Paenibacillus polymyxa PKB1 [12]. It is intriguing that upstream of this cluster is a 531-bp ORF encoding a putative protein of 177 amino acids; this protein exhibits greatest similarity to ymcC. The gene ymcC of B. subtilis also 
precedes a cluster of putative polyketide synthase genes. Taken together, these findings suggest that the membrane protein YmcC, which is regulated by the sW factor, may play a role in the action of antibiotics on bacteria. The BacLight kit 23727046 from Molecular Probes, Inc. (Eugene, Oreg.) was also used to examine fusaricidin-dependent membrane damage, as described by Hilliard [13]. In our previous study, cell membrane integrity damage was observed with B. subtilis 168 by fusaricidins at 46 MIC, whereas no damage was observed with the drug-free control. We subsequently confirmedMechanisms of Fusaricidins to Bacillus subtilisTable 1. The MIPS analysis of the differential genes at 20 min.FUNCTIONAL CATEGORY 01.01.03.03 metabolism of proline 01.01.03.03.01 biosynthesis of proline 01.01.09.07 metabolism of histidine 01.01.09.07.01 biosynthesis of histidine 01.03 nucleotide/nucleoside/nucleobase metabolism 01.03.01 purine nucleotide/nucleoside/nucleobase metabolism 01.03.01.03 purine nucleotide/nucleoside/nucleobase anabolism 01.03.04 pyrimidine nucleotide/nucleoside/nucleobase metabolism 02.25 oxidation of fatty acids 20 CELLULAR TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT FACILITIES, AND TRANSPORT ROUTES 20.01 transported compounds (substrates) 20.01.01 ion transport 20.01.01.01 cation transport (H+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, NH4+, etc.) 20.01.01.01.01 heavy metal ion transport (Cu+, Fe3+, etc.) 20.01.07 amino acid/amino.
