Global transcriptional control by the alternative sigma factor SigB in Clostridium difficile

Genes encoding the alternative sigma factor SigmaB, involved in the general stress response in firmicutes, as well as its regulators are present in the genome of the enteropathogen Clostridium difficile. We inactivated the sigB gene using the ClosTron technology in order to identify the role of this sigma factor in the physiology of this bacterium. Transcriptomic experiments showed that SigB positively and negatively controlls several genes involved in different cellular processes such as metabolism, sporulation and stress response. Two-conditions experiments, 630E strain vs SigB mutant grown in TY 10h, 4 biological replicates for each condition