Characterization, Biosynthesis, and Regulation of Granulose in Clostridium acetobutylicum

The Lanthipeptide Synthetase-like Protein CA_C0082 Is an Effector of Agr Quorum Sensing in Clostridium acetobutylicum

Lanthipeptide synthetases are present in all domains of life. They catalyze a crucial step during lanthipeptide biosynthesis by introducing thioether linkages during posttranslational peptide modification. Lanthipeptides have a wide range of functions, including antimicrobial and morphogenetic activities. Intriguingly, several Clostridium species contain lanthipeptide synthetase-like genes of the class II (lanM) family but lack other components of the lanthipeptide biosynthetic machinery. In all instances, these genes are located immediately downstream of putative agr quorum sensing operons. The physiological role and mode of action of the encoded LanM-like proteins remain uncertain as they lack conserved catalytic residues. Here we show for the industrial organism Clostridium acetobutylicum that the LanM-like protein CA_C0082 is not required for the production of active AgrD-derived signaling peptide but nevertheless acts as an effector of Agr quorum sensing. Expression of CA_C0082 was shown to be controlled by the Agr system and is a prerequisite for granulose (storage polymer) formation. The accumulation of granulose, in turn, was shown to be required for maximal spore formation but also to reduce early solvent formation. CA_C0082 and its putative homologs appear to be closely associated with Agr systems predicted to employ signaling peptides with six-membered ring structures and may represent a new subfamily of LanM-like proteins. This is the first time their contribution to bacterial Agr signaling has been described.

Clostridium beijerinckii strain degeneration is driven by the loss of Spo0A activity

Solventogenic clostridia represent a diverse group of anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria capable of producing acetone, butanol and ethanol through their unique biphasic metabolism. An intrinsic problem with these organisms however is their tendency to degenerate when repeatedly subcultured or when grown continuously. This phenomenon sees cells lose their ability to produce solvents and spores, posing a significant problem for industrial applications. To investigate the mechanistic and evolutionary basis of degeneration we combined comparative genomics, ultra-deep sequencing, and concepts of sociomicrobiology using Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 as our model organism. These approaches revealed spo0A, the master regulator gene involved in spore and solvent formation, to be key to the degeneration process in this strain. Comparative genomics of 71 degenerate variants revealed four distinct hotspot regions that contained considerably more mutations than the rest of the genome. These included spo0A as well as genes suspected to regulate its expression and activity. Ultra-deep sequencing of populations during the subculturing process showed transient increases in mutations we believe linked to the spo0A network, however, these were ultimately dominated by mutations in the master regulator itself. Through frequency-dependent fitness assays, we found that spo0A mutants gained a fitness advantage, relative to the wild type, presumably allowing for propagation throughout the culture. Combined, our data provides new insights into the phenomenon of clostridial strain degeneration and the C. beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 solvent and spore regulation network.

Transcriptomic and Phenotypic Analysis of a spoIIE Mutant in Clostridium beijerinckii

SpoIIE is a phosphatase involved in the activation of the first sigma factor of the forespore, σ F , during sporulation. A ΔspoIIE mutant of Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052, previously generated by CRISPR-Cas9, did not sporulate but still produced granulose and solvents. Microscopy analysis also showed that the cells of the ΔspoIIE mutant are elongated with the presence of multiple septa. This observation suggests that in C. beijerinckii, SpoIIE is necessary for the completion of the sporulation process, as seen in Bacillus and Clostridium acetobutylicum. Moreover, when grown in reactors, the spoIIE mutant produced higher levels of solvents than the wild type strain. The impact of the spoIIE inactivation on gene transcription was assessed by comparative transcriptome analysis at three time points (4 h, 11 h and 23 h). Approximately 5% of the genes were differentially expressed in the mutant compared to the wild type strain at all time points. Out of those only 12% were known sporulation genes. As expected, the genes belonging to the regulon of the sporulation specific transcription factors (σ F , σ E , σ G , σ K ) were strongly down-regulated in the mutant. Inactivation of spoIIE also caused differential expression of genes involved in various cell processes at each time point. Moreover, at 23 h, genes involved in butanol formation and tolerance, as well as in cell motility, were up-regulated in the mutant. In contrast, several genes involved in cell wall composition, oxidative stress and amino acid transport were down-regulated. These results indicate an intricate interdependence of sporulation and stationary phase cellular events in C. beijerinckii.

The industrial anaerobe Clostridium acetobutylicum uses polyketides to regulate cellular differentiation

Polyketides are an important class of bioactive small molecules valued not only for their diverse therapeutic applications, but also for their role in controlling interesting biological phenotypes in their producing organisms. While numerous polyketides are known to be derived from aerobic organisms, only a single family of polyketides has been identified from anaerobic organisms. Here we uncover a family of polyketides native to the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum, an organism well-known for its historical use as an industrial producer of the organic solvents acetone, butanol, and ethanol. Through mutational analysis and chemical complementation assays, we demonstrate that these polyketides act as chemical triggers of sporulation and granulose accumulation in this strain. This study represents a significant addition to the body of work demonstrating the existence and importance of polyketides in anaerobes, and showcases a strategy of manipulating the secondary metabolism of an organism to improve traits relevant for industrial applications.

Polyketides are secondary metabolites mainly found in aerobic organisms with wide applications in medicine and agriculture. Here, the authors uncover new polyketides native to the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum and show their role in triggering sporulation and granulose accumulation.

Carbon 13-Metabolic Flux Analysis derived constraint-based metabolic modelling of Clostridium acetobutylicum in stressed chemostat conditions

The metabolism of butanol producing bacteria Clostridium acetobutylicum was studied in chemostat with glucose limited conditions, butanol stimulus, and as a reference cultivation. COnstraint-Based Reconstruction and Analysis (COBRA) was applied using additional constraints from (13)C Metabolic Flux Analysis ((13)C-MFA) and experimental measurement results. A model consisting of 451 metabolites and 604 reactions was utilized in flux balance analysis (FBA). The stringency of the flux spaces considering different optimization objectives, i.e. growth rate maximization, ATP maintenance, and NADH/NADPH formation, for flux variance analysis (FVA) was studied in the different modelled conditions. Also a previously uncharacterized exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by C. acetobutylicum was characterized on monosaccharide level. The major monosaccharide components of the EPS were 40n-% rhamnose, 34n-% glucose, 13n-% mannose, 10n-% galactose, and 2n-% arabinose. The EPS was studied to have butanol adsorbing property, 70(butanol)mg(EPS)g(-1) at 37°C.

Investigation of availability of a high throughput screening method for predicting butanol solvent -producing ability of Clostridium beijerinckii

BACKGROUND

Currently, efficient screening methods for selection of desired bacterial phenotypes from large populations are not easy feasible or readily available due to the complicated physiological and metabolic networks of solventogenic clostridia. In this study, to contribute to the improvement of methods for predicting the butanol-producing ability of Clostridium beijerinckii based on starch substrate, we further investigate a simple, visualization screening method for selecting target strains from mutant library of Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 by using trypan blue dye as an indicator in solid starch via statistical survey and validation of fermentation experiment with controlling pH.

RESULTS

To verify an effective, efficient phenotypic screening method for isolating high butanol-producing mutants, the revalidation process was conducted based on Trypan Blue was used for visualization, and starch was used as the bacterial metabolic substrate. The availability of the screening system was further evaluated based on the relationship between characteristics of mutant strains and their α-amylase activities. Mutant clones were analyzed in detail based on their distinctive growth patterns and rate of fermentation of soluble starch to form butanol and were compared by statistical method. Significant correlations were identified between colony morphology and changes in butanol concentrations. The screening method was validated via statistical analysis for characterizing phenotypic parameters. The fermentation experiment of mutant strains with controlling pH value also demonstrated a positive correlation between increased α-amylase activity and increased solvent production by Clostridium beijerinckii was observed, and therefore indicated that the trypan blue dyeing method can be used as a fast method to screen target mutant strain for better solvent producers from, for instance, a mutant library.

CONCLUSIONS

The suitability of the novel screening procedure was validated, opening up a new indicator of approach to select mutant solventogenic clostridia with improved fermentation of starch to increase butanol concentrations. The applicability can easily be broadened to a wide range of interesting microbes such as cellulolytic or acetogenic microorganisms, which produce biofuels from feedstock rich in starch.

Development and application of a novel screening method and experimental use of the mutant bacterial strain Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 for production of butanol via fermentation of fresh cassava

Classic chemical mutagenesis has a demonstrated potential to create a strain ofClostridiumwith improved fermentation performance for obtaining high butanol yield.

Physiology and Sporulation in Clostridium

Clostridia are Gram-positive, anaerobic, endospore-forming bacteria, incapable of dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Comprising approximately 180 species, the genus Clostridium is one of the largest bacterial genera. Physiology is mostly devoted to acid production. Numerous pathways are known, such as the homoacetate fermentation by acetogens, the propionate fermentation by Clostridium propionicum , and the butyrate/butanol fermentation by C. acetobutylicum , a well-known solvent producer. Clostridia degrade sugars, alcohols, amino acids, purines, pyrimidines, and polymers such as starch and cellulose. Energy conservation can be performed by substrate-level phosphorylation as well as by the generation of ion gradients. Endospore formation resembles the mechanism elucidated in Bacillus . Morphology, contents, and properties of spores are very similar to bacilli endospores. Sporulating clostridia usually form swollen mother cells and accumulate the storage substance granulose. However, clostridial sporulation differs by not employing the so-called phosphorelay. Initiation starts by direct phosphorylation of the master regulator Spo0A. The cascade of sporulation-specific sigma factors is again identical to what is known from Bacillus . The onset of sporulation is coupled in some species to either solvent (acetone, butanol) or toxin (e.g., C. perfringens enterotoxin) formation. The germination of spores is often induced by various amino acids, often in combination with phosphate and sodium ions. In medical applications, C. butyricum spores are used as a C. difficile prophylaxis and as treatment against diarrhea. Recombinant spores are currently under investigation and testing as antitumor agents, because they germinate only in hypoxic tissues (i.e., tumor tissue), allowing precise targeting and direct killing of tumor cells.

Effects of supplementary butyrate on butanol production and the metabolic switch in Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052: genome-wide transcriptional analysis with RNA-Seq

BACKGROUND

Butanol (n-butanol) has high values as a promising fuel source and chemical feedstock. Biobutanol is usually produced by the solventogenic clostridia through a typical biphasic (acidogenesis and solventogenesis phases) acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation process. It is well known that the acids produced in the acidogenic phase are significant and play important roles in the switch to solventogenesis. However, the mechanism that triggers the metabolic switch is still not clear.

RESULTS

Sodium butyrate (40 mM) was supplemented into the medium for the ABE fermentation with Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052. With butyrate addition (reactor R1), solvent production was triggered early in the mid-exponential phase and completed quickly in < 50 h, while in the control (reactor R2), solventogenesis was initiated during the late exponential phase and took > 90 h to complete. Butyrate supplementation led to 31% improvement in final butanol titer, 58% improvement in sugar-based yield, and 133% improvement in butanol productivity, respectively. The butanol/acetone ratio was 2.4 versus 1.8 in the control, indicating a metabolic shift towards butanol production due to butyrate addition. Genome-wide transcriptional dynamics was investigated with RNA-Seq analysis. In reactor R1, gene expression related to solventogenesis was induced about 10 hours earlier when compared to that in reactor R2. Although the early sporulation genes were induced after the onset of solventogenesis in reactor R1 (mid-exponential phase), the sporulation events were delayed and uncoupled from the solventogenesis. In contrast, in reactor R2, sporulation genes were induced at the onset of solventogenesis, and highly expressed through the solventogenesis phase. The motility genes were generally down-regulated to lower levels prior to stationary phase in both reactors. However, in reactor R2 this took much longer and gene expression was maintained at comparatively higher levels after entering stationary phase.

CONCLUSIONS

Supplemented butyrate provided feedback inhibition to butyrate formation and may be re-assimilated through the reversed butyrate formation pathway, thus resulting in an elevated level of intracellular butyryl phosphate, which may act as a phosphate donor to Spo0A and then trigger solventogenesis and sporulation events. High-resolution genome-wide transcriptional analysis with RNA-Seq revealed detailed insights into the biochemical effects of butyrate on solventogenesis related-events at the gene regulation level.

High-fat diet alters gut microbiota physiology in mice

The intestinal microbiota is known to regulate host energy homeostasis and can be influenced by high-calorie diets. However, changes affecting the ecosystem at the functional level are still not well characterized. We measured shifts in cecal bacterial communities in mice fed a carbohydrate or high-fat (HF) diet for 12 weeks at the level of the following: (i) diversity and taxa distribution by high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing; (ii) bulk and single-cell chemical composition by Fourier-transform infrared- (FT-IR) and Raman micro-spectroscopy and (iii) metaproteome and metabolome via high-resolution mass spectrometry. High-fat diet caused shifts in the diversity of dominant gut bacteria and altered the proportion of Ruminococcaceae (decrease) and Rikenellaceae (increase). FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that the impact of the diet on cecal chemical fingerprints is greater than the impact of microbiota composition. Diet-driven changes in biochemical fingerprints of members of the Bacteroidales and Lachnospiraceae were also observed at the level of single cells, indicating that there were distinct differences in cellular composition of dominant phylotypes under different diets. Metaproteome and metabolome analyses based on the occurrence of 1760 bacterial proteins and 86 annotated metabolites revealed distinct HF diet-specific profiles. Alteration of hormonal and anti-microbial networks, bile acid and bilirubin metabolism and shifts towards amino acid and simple sugars metabolism were observed. We conclude that a HF diet markedly affects the gut bacterial ecosystem at the functional level.

Genome-wide dynamic transcriptional profiling in Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 using single-nucleotide resolution RNA-Seq

Background

Clostridium beijerinckii is a prominent solvent-producing microbe that has great potential for biofuel and chemical industries. Although transcriptional analysis is essential to understand gene functions and regulation and thus elucidate proper strategies for further strain improvement, limited information is available on the genome-wide transcriptional analysis for C. beijerinckii.

Results

The genome-wide transcriptional dynamics of C. beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 over a batch fermentation process was investigated using high-throughput RNA-Seq technology. The gene expression profiles indicated that the glycolysis genes were highly expressed throughout the fermentation, with comparatively more active expression during acidogenesis phase. The expression of acid formation genes was down-regulated at the onset of solvent formation, in accordance with the metabolic pathway shift from acidogenesis to solventogenesis. The acetone formation gene (adc), as a part of the sol operon, exhibited highly-coordinated expression with the other sol genes. Out of the > 20 genes encoding alcohol dehydrogenase in C. beijerinckii, Cbei_1722 and Cbei_2181 were highly up-regulated at the onset of solventogenesis, corresponding to their key roles in primary alcohol production. Most sporulation genes in C. beijerinckii 8052 demonstrated similar temporal expression patterns to those observed in B. subtilis and C. acetobutylicum, while sporulation sigma factor genes sigE and sigG exhibited accelerated and stronger expression in C. beijerinckii 8052, which is consistent with the more rapid forespore and endspore development in this strain. Global expression patterns for specific gene functional classes were examined using self-organizing map analysis. The genes associated with specific functional classes demonstrated global expression profiles corresponding to the cell physiological variation and metabolic pathway switch.

Conclusions

The results from this work provided insights for further C. beijerinckii strain improvement employing system biology-based strategies and metabolic engineering approaches.

An agr quorum sensing system that regulates granulose formation and sporulation in Clostridium acetobutylicum

The Gram-positive, anaerobic, endospore-forming bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum has considerable biotechnological potential due to its ability to produce solvents as fermentation products, in particular the biofuel butanol. Its genome contains a putative agr locus, agrBDCA, known in staphylococci to constitute a cyclic peptide-based quorum sensing system. In staphylococci, agrBD is required for the generation of a peptide signal that, upon extracellular accumulation, is sensed by an agrCA-encoded two-component system. Using ClosTron technology, agrB, agrC, and agrA mutants of C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824 were generated and phenotypically characterized. Mutants and wild type displayed similar growth kinetics and no apparent differences in solvent formation under the conditions tested. However, the number of heat-resistant endospores formed by the mutants in liquid culture was reduced by about one order of magnitude. On agar-solidified medium, spore formation was more strongly affected, particularly in agrA and agrC mutants. Similarly, accumulation of the starch-like storage compound granulose was almost undetectable in colonies of agrB, agrA, and agrC mutants. Importantly, these defects could be genetically complemented, demonstrating that they were directly linked to agr inactivation. A diffusible factor produced by agrBD-expressing strains was found to restore granulose and spore formation in the agrB mutant. Furthermore, a synthetic cyclic peptide, designed on the basis of the C. acetobutylicum AgrD sequence, was also capable of complementing the defects of the agrB mutant when added exogenously to the culture. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that agr-dependent quorum sensing is involved in the regulation of sporulation and granulose formation in C. acetobutylicum.

Unexpected and widespread connections between bacterial glycogen and trehalose metabolism

Glycogen, a large α-glucan, is a ubiquitous energy storage molecule among bacteria, and its biosynthesis by the classical GlgC-GlgA pathway and its degradation have long been well understood - or so we thought. A second pathway of α-glucan synthesis, the four-step GlgE pathway, was recently discovered in mycobacteria. It requires trehalose as a precursor, and has been genetically validated as a novel anti-tuberculosis drug target. The ability to convert glycogen into trehalose was already known, so the GlgE pathway provides a complementary way of cycling these two metabolites. As well as containing cytosolic storage glycogen, mycobacteria possess an outer capsule containing a glycogen-like α-glucan that is implicated in immune system evasion, so the GlgE pathway might be linked to capsular α-glucan biosynthesis. Another pathway (the Rv3032 pathway) for α-glucan biosynthesis in mycobacteria generates a methylglucose lipopolysaccharide thought to be associated with fatty acid metabolism. A comparative genomic analysis was carried out to evaluate the occurrence and role of the classical pathway, the new GlgE pathway and the Rv3032 pathway across bacteria occupying very different ecological niches. The GlgE pathway is represented in 14 % of sequenced genomes from diverse bacteria (about half as common as the classical pathway), while the Rv3032 pathway is restricted with few exceptions to mycobacteria, and the GlgB branching enzyme, usually presumed to be associated with the classical pathway, correlates more strongly with the new GlgE pathway. The microbiological implications of recent discoveries in the light of the comparative genomic analysis are discussed.

Inactivation of σE and σG in Clostridium acetobutylicum illuminates their roles in clostridial-cell-form biogenesis, granulose synthesis, solventogenesis, and spore morphogenesis

Central to all clostridia is the orchestration of endospore formation (i.e., sporulation) and, specifically, the roles of differentiation-associated sigma factors. Moreover, there is considerable applied interest in understanding the roles of these sigma factors in other stationary-phase phenomena, such as solvent production (i.e., solventogenesis). Here we separately inactivated by gene disruption the major sporulation-specific sigma factors, σ(E) and σ(G), and performed an initial analysis to elucidate their roles in sporulation-related morphogenesis and solventogenesis in Clostridium acetobutylicum. The terminal differentiation phenotype for the sigE inactivation mutant stalled in sporulation prior to asymmetric septum formation, appeared vegetative-like often with an accumulation of DNA at both poles, frequently exhibited two longitudinal internal membranes, and did not synthesize granulose. The sigE inactivation mutant did produce the characteristic solvents (i.e., butanol and acetone), but the extent of solventogenesis was dependent on the physiological state of the inoculum. The sigG inactivation mutant stalled in sporulation during endospore maturation, exhibiting engulfment and partial cortex and spore coat formation. Lastly, the sigG inactivation mutant did produce granulose and exhibited wild-type-like solventogenesis.

Transcriptional program of early sporulation and stationary-phase events in Clostridium acetobutylicum

DNA microarray analysis of Clostridium acetobutylicum was used to examine the genomic-scale gene expression changes during the shift from exponential-phase growth and acidogenesis to stationary phase and solventogenesis. Self-organizing maps were used to identify novel expression patterns of functional gene classes, including aromatic and branched-chain amino acid synthesis, ribosomal proteins, cobalt and iron transporters, cobalamin biosynthesis, and lipid biosynthesis. The majority of pSOL1 megaplasmid genes (in addition to the solventogenic genes aad-ctfA-ctfB and adc) had increased expression at the onset of solventogenesis, suggesting that other megaplasmid genes may play a role in stationary-phase phenomena. Analysis of sporulation genes and comparison with published Bacillus subtilis results indicated conserved expression patterns of early sporulation genes, including spo0A, the sigF operon, and putative canonical genes of the sigma(H) and sigma(F) regulons. However, sigE expression could not be detected within 7.5 h of initial spo0A expression, consistent with the observed extended time between the appearance of clostridial forms and endospore formation. The results were compared with microarray comparisons of the wild-type strain and the nonsolventogenic, asporogenous M5 strain, which lacks the pSOL1 megaplasmid. While some results were similar, the expression of primary metabolism genes and heat shock proteins was higher in M5, suggesting a difference in metabolic regulation or a butyrate stress response in M5. The results of this microarray platform and analysis were further validated by comparing gene expression patterns to previously published Northern analyses, reporter assays, and two-dimensional protein electrophoresis data of metabolic genes (including all major solventogenesis genes), sporulation genes, heat shock proteins, and other solventogenesis-induced gene expression.

Initiation of endospore formation in Clostridium acetobutylicum

Endospore formation in bacilli and clostridia shows remarkable similarities in morphology as well as in physiological and molecular biological cellular events. Major differences are the formation of clostridial stage cells and granulose accumulation in clostridia. In both genera, a cascade of sigma factors is activated after septation (by help of sigma(H) and Spo0A approximately P) in the sequence sigma(F), sigma(E), sigma(G), and sigma(K). Of these, sigma(F) and sigma(G) are active inside the forespore and are regulated by anti-sigma factors and anti-anti-sigma factors, whereas sigma(E) and sigma(K) (mother cell-specific sigma factors) are synthesized as precursor proteins and activated by proteolysis. Each of these sigma factors allows transcription of a specific set of genes and operons, thus leading to the orchestral expression of stage-specific proteins required for successful sporulation. Both, the genetic organization of the respective operons and the expression pattern of the sigma factors are very similar in Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium acetobutylicum, the model organisms of the two genera. However, a major regulatory difference is found in initiation of endospore formation. Genome sequencing revealed that clostridia do not contain components of the so-called phosphorelay, with the exception of the essential transcription factor Spo0A. This might reflect recognition of different environmental signals, as for clostridia nutrient limitation is no prerequisite for sporulation. In contrast to Bacillus, the clostridial sigH gene is constitutively expressed at a low level, with no increase at the onset of spore formation. The spo0A gene in C. acetobutylicum is also constitutively expressed, but Spo0A synthesis only occurs during the early and mid-exponential growth phase, indicating a posttranscriptional or cotranslational regulation. Mutational studies revealed an important regulatory function of a dual palindrome region upstream of the spo0A gene of C. acetobutylicum, part of which overlaps with a Spo0A-binding site. In addition to controlling sporulation genes, phosphorylated clostridial Spo0A is involved in regulation of acetone and butanol synthesis.

Analysis of Tn916-induced mutants of Clostridium acetobutylicum altered in solventogenesis and sporulation

The conjugative transposon Tn916 was used for mutagenesis of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824. Tetracycline-resistant mutants were screened for loss of granulose synthesis and five classes of granulose mutants, that contained single transposon insertions, were identified on the basis of altered solvent production. Class 1 mutants did not make acetone or butanol, lacked activity of enzymes induced during solventogenesis, and did not sporulate, indicating that they are regulatory mutants. The class 2 mutant strains also did not produce acetone but did form small amounts of butanol and ethanol, while the class 3 mutants produced low amounts of all solvents. Class 4 and 5 mutants produced essentially the same or higher amounts of solvents than the parent strain. Transposon insertions in the class 1 mutants were used as markers for in vitro synthesis of flanking chromosomal DNA using Tn916-specific primers. The DNA fragments were labeled to produce specific probes. Transposon insertion sites in the chromosomes of 13 different class 1 regulatory mutants were compared by hybridization of the specific probes to Southern blots of restriction endonuclease-digested parental chromosomal DNA. Insertions in two mutants appeared to be in the same region of the chromosome. These results predict that multiple regulatory elements are required to induce solvent production and sporulation.