scholarly journals FxkR Provides the Missing Link in the fixL-fixK Signal Transduction Cascade in Rhizobium etli CFN42

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1506-1517 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Zamorano-Sánchez ◽  
Alma Reyes-González ◽  
Nicolás Gómez-Hernández ◽  
Patricia Rivera ◽  
Dimitris Georgellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Transcriptional Control ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Transcriptional Start Site ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Rhizobium Etli ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays

Transcriptional control of the fixK gene in Rhizobium etli and R. leguminosarum bv. viciae is governed by a two-component signal transduction system that diverts from the conventional FixL-FixJ cascade that occurs in model rhizobia. Although a fixL gene, encoding a hybrid histidine kinase (hFixL), is present in R. etli, no fixJ, the cognate response regulator, has been identified. In this work, we present evidence that the pRet42f-located open reading frame RHE_PF00530 (fxkR) encodes a novel response regulator indispensable for fixKf activation under microaerobic growth. Moreover, results from complementation assays demonstrate that the activation of fixKf expression requires the presence of both hFixL and FxkR, and that the fxkR ortholog from R. leguminosarum bv. viciae is able to substitute for FxkR transcriptional control in R. etli. In addition, in these two organisms, hFixL- and FxkR-related proteins were identified in other bacteria, located in close proximity to a fixK-related gene. Using reporter fusions, site-directed mutagenesis, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we identified the FxkR binding site upstream from the transcriptional start site of fixKf. Similar to our previous observations for fixL and fixKf mutants, a null mutation in fxkR does not affect the symbiotic effectiveness of the strain. Thus, our findings reveal that FxkR is the long-standing missing key regulator that allows the transduction of the microaerobic signal for the activation of the FixKf regulon.

scholarly journals Modulation of covR Expression in Streptococcus mutans UA159

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (13) ◽  
pp. 4478-4488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Chong ◽  
Laura Drake ◽  
Indranil Biswas
Keyword(s):  
Dental Caries ◽  
Streptococcus Mutans ◽  
Growth Phase ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Transcriptional Start Site ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Start Codon ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Exponential Growth Phase ◽  
Mobility Shift

ABSTRACT The biofilm-forming Streptococcus mutans is a gram-positive bacterium that resides in the human oral cavity and is considered to be the primary etiological agent in the formation of dental caries. The global response regulator CovR, which lacks a cognate sensor kinase, is essential for the pathogenesis and biofilm formation of this bacterium, but it is not clear how covR expression is regulated in S. mutans. In this communication, we present the results of our studies examining various factors that regulate the expression of covR in S. mutans UA159. The results of Southern hybridization and PCR analysis indicated that CovR is an orphan response regulator in various isolates of S. mutans. The transcriptional start site for covR was found to be 221 base pairs upstream of the ATG start codon, and site-directed mutagenesis of the upstream TATAAT box confirmed our findings. The expression of covR is growth phase dependent, with maximal expression observed during exponential-growth phase. While changes to the growth temperature did not significantly affect the expression of covR, increasing the pH or the concentration of Mg2+ in the growth medium leads to an increase in covR expression. The results of semiquantitative reverse transcriptase PCR analysis and in vivo transcriptional-fusion reporter assays indicated that CovR autoregulates its own expression; this was verified by the results of electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I protection assays, which demonstrated direct binding of CovR to the promoter region. Apparently, regulation by Mg2+ and the autoregulation of covR are not linked. A detailed analysis of the regulation of CovR may lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of S. mutans, as well as providing further insight into the prevention of dental caries.

scholarly journals Silencing of the Gene for the α-Subunit of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin by the Embryonic Transcription Factor Oct-3/4

1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1651-1658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limin Liu ◽  
Douglas Leaman ◽  
Michel Villalta ◽  
R. Michael Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Binding Site ◽  
Gene Promoter ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Choriocarcinoma Cells ◽  
Human Choriocarcinoma Cells ◽  
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays ◽  
Jar Cells

Abstract CG is required for maintenance of the corpus luteum during pregnancy in higher primates. As CG is a heterodimeric molecule, some form of coordinated control must be maintained over the transcription of its two subunit genes. We recently found that expression of human CG β-subunit (hCGβ) in JAr human choriocarcinoma cells was almost completely silenced by the embryonic transcription factor Oct-3/4, which bound to a unique ACAATAATCA octameric sequence in the hCGβ gene promoter. Here we report that Oct-3/4 is also a potent inhibitor of hCG α-subunit (hCGα) expression in JAr cells. Oct-3/4 reduced human GH reporter expression from the −170 hCGα promoter in either the presence or absence of cAMP by about 70% in transient cotransfection assays, but had no effect on expression from either the −148 hCGα or the −99 hCGα promoter. Unexpectedly, no Oct-3/4-binding site was identified within the −170 to −148 region of the hCGα promoter, although one was found around position −115 by both methylation interference footprinting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Site-directed mutagenesis of this binding site destroyed the affinity of the promoter for Oct-3/4, but did not affect repression of the promoter. Therefore, inhibition of hCGα gene transcription by Oct-3/4 appears not to involve direct binding of this factor to the site responsible for silencing. When stably transfected into JAr cells, Oct-3/4 reduced the amounts of both endogenous hCGα mRNA and protein by 70–80%. Oct-3/4 is therefore capable of silencing both hCGα and hCGβ gene expression. We suggest that as the trophoblast begins to form, reduction of Oct-3/4 expression permits the coordinated onset of transcription from the hCGα and hCGβ genes.

The extrachromosomal replication of Dictyostelium plasmid Ddp2 requires a cis-acting element and a plasmid-encoded trans-acting factor

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 3727-3736
Author(s):  
B Leiting ◽  
I J Lindner ◽  
A A Noegel
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Wild Strain ◽  
Open Reading Frame ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Cis Acting ◽  
Transformation Vector ◽  
Cis And Trans ◽  
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays

Dictyostelium discoideum plasmid Ddp2 from the wild strain WS380B is a 5.8-kilobase (kb) supercoiled circle with a copy number of 300 per haploid genome. We previously described the construction of an extrachromosomally replicating transformation vector pnDeI carrying 4.7 kb of Ddp2 sequences (B. Leiting, and A. Noegel, Plasmid 20:241-248, 1988). In order to reduce the sequences required for extrachromosomal maintenance in D. discoideum, we characterized Ddp2 by sequence analysis, by deletion experiments, by transcription mapping, by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and by expression of its single open reading frame in Escherichia coli. Two elements were involved in replication of Ddp2: a cis-acting sequence located on a 592-base-pair (bp) fragment that consisted of 220 bp of essential and 372 bp of auxiliary sequences, and a 2.7-kb open reading frame which most likely encodes a trans-acting factor. The cis- and trans-acting elements did not overlap and were shown to act independently from the location of the sequences encoding the trans-acting factor.

Distinct functional contributions of 2 GABP–NRF-2 recognition sites within the context of the human TOMM70 promoter

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 813-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
José R. Blesa ◽  
José Hernández-Yago
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Outer Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
A Subunit ◽  
Expression Evidence ◽  
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays

TOMM70 is a subunit of the outer mitochondrial membrane translocase that plays a major role as a receptor of hydrophobic preproteins targeted to mitochondria. We have previously reported 2 binding sites for the transcription factor GABP–NRF-2 in the promoter region of the human TOMM70 gene that are important in activating transcription. To assess the functionality and actual role of these sites, chromatin immunoprecipitation, site-directed mutagenesis, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were carried out. We conclude that GABP–NRF-2 binds in vivo to the TOMM70 promoter, and that the 2 GABP–NRF-2 binding sites of the promoter have different functional contributions in promoting TOMM70 expression. Evidence is provided that they work in an additive manner as single sites.

scholarly journals Competence Modulation by the NADH Oxidase ofStreptococcus pneumoniae Involves Signal Transduction

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (2) ◽  
pp. 768-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
José R. Echenique ◽  
Marie C. Trombe
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Transcriptional Control ◽  
Nadh Oxidase ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Transcriptional Analysis ◽  
Genetic Dissection ◽  
Oxygen Signaling ◽  
Two Component Signal Transduction ◽  
Signal Transduction Systems

ABSTRACT Oxygen controls competence development in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Oxygen signaling involves the two-component signal transduction systems CiaRH and ComDE and the competence-stimulating peptide encoded by comC and processed by ComAB. We found that NADH oxidase (Nox) was required for optimal competence. Transcriptional analysis and genetic dissection showed that Nox was involved in post-transcriptional activation of the response regulator ComE and in the transcriptional control of ciaRH andcomCDE. Thus, in S. pneumoniae, Nox, with O2 as its secondary substrate, is part of the O2-signaling pathway.

Matrix metalloproteinase-3 induction in rat brain astrocytes: focus on the role of two AP-1 elements

2008 ◽  
Vol 410 (3) ◽  
pp. 605-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwang Soo Kim ◽  
Hee Young Kim ◽  
Eun-hye Joe ◽  
Ilo Jou
Keyword(s):  
Rat Brain ◽  
Interferon Γ ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Start Codon ◽  
Activator Protein 1 ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays

Many brain cells secrete MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases), and increased or misregulated MMP levels are found in neurodegenerative disorders. Here we report that MMP-3 transcription and protein secretion were increased in rat brain astrocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, gangliosides or interferon-γ. Sequential deletion of the MMP-3 promoter revealed that sequences between −0.5 kb and the start codon were crucial for the transcriptional induction of MMP-3. In addition, experiments using pharmacological inhibitors of individual mitogen-activated protein kinases revealed that MMP-3 induction and promoter activity involved Jun N-terminal kinase, a representative upstream signal of AP-1 (activator protein-1). Sequence analyses of the region of the MMP-3 promoter 500 bp from the start codon indicated the presence of three AP-1 binding sequences. Among them, electrophoretic-mobility-shift assays as well as site-directed mutagenesis of individual AP-1 sequences revealed that distal and middle, but not proximal, sequences largely mediated its induction. Together, these results indicate that AP-1 could control MMP-3 induction in brain astrocytes and that its regulation through specific AP-1 elements could be exploited in the treatment of brain pathologies in which increased expression of MMP-3 plays crucial roles.

scholarly journals The Mycobacterium tuberculosis TrcR Response Regulator Represses Transcription of the Intracellularly Expressed Rv1057 Gene, Encoding a Seven-Bladed β-Propeller

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelley E. Haydel ◽  
Josephine E. Clark-Curtiss
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Intergenic Region ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Transcriptional Start Site ◽  
Rich Region ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Human Macrophages ◽  
Intracellular Expression ◽  
Transcribed Sequences

ABSTRACT The Mycobacterium tuberculosis TrcR response regulator binds and regulates its own promoter via an AT-rich sequence. Sequences within this AT-rich region determined to be important for TrcR binding were used to search the M. tuberculosis H37Rv genome to identify additional related TrcR binding sites. A similar AT-rich sequence was identified within the intergenic region located upstream of the Rv1057 gene. In the present work, we demonstrate that TrcR binds to a 69-bp AT-rich sequence within the Rv1057 intergenic region and generates specific contacts on the same side of the DNA helix. An M. tuberculosis trcRS deletion mutant, designated STS10, was constructed and used to determine that TrcR functions as a repressor of Rv1057 expression. Additionally, identification of the Rv1057 transcriptional start site suggests that a SigE-regulated promoter also mediates control of Rv1057 expression. Using selective capture of transcribed sequences (SCOTS) analysis as an evaluation of intracellular expression, Rv1057 was shown to be expressed during early M. tuberculosis growth in human macrophages, and the Rv1057 expression profile correlated with a gene that would be repressed by TrcR. Based on structural predictions, motif analyses, and molecular modeling, Rv1057 consists of a series of antiparallel β-strands which adopt a β-propeller fold, and it was determined to be the only seven-bladed β-propeller encoded in the M. tuberculosis genome. These results provide evidence of TrcR response regulator repression of the Rv1057 β-propeller gene that is expressed during growth of M. tuberculosis within human macrophages.

scholarly journals Binding of Pseudomonas aeruginosa AlgZ to Sites Upstream of the algZ Promoter Leads to Repression of Transcription

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (13) ◽  
pp. 4430-4443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah M. Ramsey ◽  
Patricia J. Baynham ◽  
Daniel J. Wozniak
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Transcriptional Control ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Transcriptional Start Site ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Amino Acid Identity ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Base Pairs

ABSTRACT Mucoid variants of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa produce the exopolysaccharide alginate and colonize the respiratory tracts of cystic fibrosis patients. The genes encoding the alginate biosynthetic enzymes are clustered in a single operon, which is under tight transcriptional control. One essential activator of the alginate operon is AlgZ, a proposed ribbon-helix-helix DNA binding protein that shares 30% amino acid identity with the Mnt repressor of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium bacteriophage P22. In the current study, we examined the role of AlgZ as an autoregulator. Using single-copy algZ-lacZ transcription fusions, an increase in algZ transcription was observed in an algZ mutant compared to the isogenic wild-type strain, suggesting that AlgZ may have an additional role as a repressor. To identify the AlgZ binding site, overlapping regions upstream of algZ were incubated with AlgZ and analyzed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Specific binding activity was localized to a region spanning from 66 to 185 base pairs upstream of the algZ transcriptional start site. Two AlgZ binding sites were defined using copper-phenanthroline footprinting and deletion analyses, with one site centered at 93 base pairs and the other centered at 161 base pairs upstream of the algZ promoter. Deletion of both binding sites resulted in the loss of AlgZ binding. These results indicate that AlgZ represses algZ transcription, and this activity is mediated by multiple AlgZ-DNA interactions.

scholarly journals cis-Acting Elements Responsible for Low-Temperature-Inducible Expression of the Gene Coding for the Thermolabile Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Isozyme of a Psychrophilic Bacterium, Vibrio sp. Strain ABE-1

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (8) ◽  
pp. 2602-2611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takehiko Sahara ◽  
Masahiro Suzuki ◽  
Jun-Ichiro Tsuruha ◽  
Yasuhiro Takada ◽  
Noriyuki Fukunaga
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Isocitrate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Transcriptional Control ◽  
Fusion Gene ◽  
Inducible Expression ◽  
Psychrophilic Bacterium ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Cis Acting ◽  
Dehydrogenase Isozyme

ABSTRACT Transcriptional control of the low-temperature-inducibleicdII gene, encoding the thermolabile isocitrate dehydrogenase of a psychrophilic bacterium, Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1, was found to be mediated in part by a transcriptional silencer locating at nucleotide positions −560 to −526 upstream from the transcription start site of icdII. Deletion of the silencer resulted in a 20-fold-increased level of expression of the gene at low temperature (15°C) but not at high temperature (37°C). In addition, a CCAAT sequence located 2 bases upstream of the −35 region was found to be essential for the low-temperature-inducible expression of the gene. By deletion of this sequence, low-temperature-dependent expression of the gene was completely abolished. The ability of the icdII promoter to control the expression of other genes was confirmed by using a fusion gene containing the icdII promoter region and the promoterlessicdI open reading frame, which encodes the non-cold-inducible isocitrate dehydrogenase isozyme ofVibrio sp. strain ABE-1. Escherichia colitransformants harboring icdII acquired an ability to grow rapidly at low temperature.

IL-1β induces eotaxin gene transcription in A549 airway epithelial cells through NF-κB

2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (6) ◽  
pp. L1058-L1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Jedrzkiewicz ◽  
Hidetoshi Nakamura ◽  
Eric S. Silverman ◽  
Andrew D. Luster ◽  
Naresh Mansharamani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Transcriptional Start Site ◽  
Nuclear Factor Κb ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Mobility Shift Assay ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient

Eotaxin is an asthma-related C-C chemokine that is produced in response to interleukin-1β (IL-1β). We detected an increase in newly transcribed eotaxin mRNA in IL-1β-stimulated airway epithelial cells. Transient transfection assays using promoter-reporter constructs identified a region as essential for IL-1β-induced increases in eotaxin transcription. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we found that a nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) site located 46 bp upstream from the transcriptional start site was both necessary and sufficient for IL-1β induction of reporter construct activity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that IL-1β-stimulated airway epithelial cells produced p50 and p65 protein that bound this site in a sequence-specific manner. The functional importance of the NF-κB site was demonstrated by coexpression experiments in which increasing doses of p65 expression vector were directly associated with reporter activity exclusively in constructs with an intact NF-κB site ( r 2 = 0.97, P = 0.002). Moreover, IL-1β-induced increases in eotaxin mRNA expression are inhibited by inhibitors of NF-κB. Our findings implicate NF-κB and its binding sequence in IL-1β-induced transcriptional activation of the eotaxin gene.

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