The phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system (sugar PTS), a major carbohydrate active transport system, catalyzes the phosphorylation of incoming sugar substrates concomitantly with their translocation across the cell membrane. This system is involved in maltose transport. D-maltose(out) + N(pros)-phospho-L-histidyl-[protein] = alpha-maltose 6'-phosphate(in) + L-histidyl-[protein] By maltose; repressed by glucose. The EIIC domain type-1 forms the PTS system translocation channel and contains the specific substrate-binding site. The PTS EIIB type-1 domain is phosphorylated by phospho-EIIA on a cysteinyl residue. Then, it transfers the phosphoryl group to the sugar substrate concomitantly with the sugar uptake processed by the PTS EIIC type-1 domain. Cells lacking this gene show no maltose uptake. Maltose uptake in B.subtilis occurs only via the malP-encoded specific PTS-dependent EIICB(Mal) and not via another transport mechanism.