Control of key metabolic intersections in Bacillus subtilis.

The remarkable ability of bacteria to adapt efficiently to a wide range of nutritional environments reflects their use of overlapping regulatory systems that link gene expression to intracellular pools of a small number of key metabolites. By integrating the activities of global regulators, such as CcpA, CodY and TnrA, Bacillus subtilis manages traffic through two metabolic intersections that determine the flow of carbon and nitrogen to and from crucial metabolites, such as pyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate and glutamate. Here, the latest knowledge on the control of these key intersections in B. subtilis is reviewed.