RemA (YlzA) and RemB (YaaB) Regulate Extracellular Matrix Operon Expression and Biofilm Formation in Bacillus subtilis

Biofilms are multicellular aggregates stabilized by an extracellular matrix. In Bacillus subtilis, the biofilm matrix is composed of an extracellular polysaccharide and the secreted protein TasA. Expression of both of the matrix components is repressed by the DNA-binding master regulator, SinR. Here we identify two small protein regulators of the extracellular matrix: RemA (formerly YlzA) and RemB (formerly YaaB). Mutation of RemA or RemB impairs pellicle formation, complex colony architecture, and motility inhibition in a sinR mutant background. Both proteins are required for the activation of the matrix biosynthesis operons and appear to act in parallel to SinR and two other known biofilm regulators, AbrB and DegU.