Sigma Factors of RNA Polymerase in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Corynebacterium glutamicum is an important biotechnological organism as well as a model organism for other corynebacteria including pathogenic species. C. glutamicum also seems suitable as a model organism for corynebacteria in respect of studies of regulatory networks controlled by sigma factors of RNA polymerase, because its sigma factors represent a common subset, which was found in most Corynebacterium species. The C. glutamicum genome encodes seven σ factors: A primary σA, a primary-like σB and five σ factors of the extracytoplasmic function (ECF) group (σC, σD, σE, σH and σM) that are involved in various stress responses. Activities of σD, σE and σH are controlled by the cognate anti-sigma factors.