The spoVM gene of Bacillus subtilis codes for a 26 amino-acid peptide that is essential for sporulation. Analysis of the expression of the spoVM gene revealed that wild-type cells started to synthesize a spoVM-specific transcript at t(2), whereas the SpoVM peptide accumulated at t(4). Both the transcript and the peptide were absent from an spoVM knockout strain. The 5' untranslated region of the spoVM transcript increased expression of SpoVM. Possible regulation mechanisms are discussed.