The spoIIE homolog of Epulopiscium sp. type B is expressed early in intracellular offspring development

Abstract

Epulopiscium sp. type B is an enormous intestinal symbiont of the surgeonfish Naso tonganus. Intracellular offspring production in Epulopiscium shares features with endospore formation. Here, we characterize the spoIIE homolog in Epulopiscium. The timing of spoIIE gene expression and presence of interacting partners suggest that the activation of σF occurs early in Epulopiscium offspring development.