This family of proteins is involved in sporulation. It may contribute to the formation and stability of the thick peptidoglycan layer between the two membranes of the spore, known as the cortex [1]. In Bacillus subtilis its expression is regulated by sigma-E [2].

1: Unmasking novel sporulation genes in Bacillus subtilis. Silvaggi JM, Popham DL, Driks A, Eichenberger P, Losick R; J Bacteriol. 2004;186:8089-8095. PMID:15547282

2: The sigmaE regulon and the identification of additional sporulation genes in Bacillus subtilis. Eichenberger P, Jensen ST, Conlon EM, van Ooij C, Silvaggi J, Gonzalez-Pastor JE, Fujita M, Ben-Yehuda S, Stragier P, Liu JS, Losick R; J Mol Biol 2003;327:945-972. PMID:12662922