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We report the nucleotide sequence and the characterization of the Bacillus subtilis tagGH operon. The latter is controlled by a σ^A‐dependent promoter and situated in the 308° chromosomal region which contains genes involved in teichoic acid biosynthesis. TagG is a hydrophobic 32.2 kDa protein which resembles integral membrane proteins belonging to polymerexport systems of Gram‐negative bacteria. Gene tagH encodes a 59.9 kDa protein whose N‐moiety contains the ATP‐binding motif and shares extensive homology with a number of ATP‐binding proteins, particularly with those associated with the transport of capsular polysaccharides and O‐antigens. That the tagGH operon is essential for cell growth was established by the failure to inactivate tagG and the 5′ ‐moiety of tagH by insertional mutagenesis. During limited tagGH expression, cells exhibited a cocoid morphology while their walls contained …