Characterization of the Organic Hydroperoxide Resistance System of Brucella abortus 2308
ABSTRACTThe organic hydroperoxide resistance protein Ohr has been identified in numerous bacteria where it functions in the detoxification of organic hydroperoxides, and expression ofohris often regulated by a MarR-type regulator called OhrR. The genes annotated as BAB2_0350 and BAB2_0351 in theBrucella abortus2308 genome sequence are predicted to encode OhrR and Ohr orthologs, respectively. Using isogenicohrandohrRmutants andlacZpromoter fusions, it was determined that Ohr contributes to resistance to organic hydroperoxide, but not hydrogen peroxide, inB. abortus2308 and that OhrR represses the transcription of bothohrandohrRin this strain. Moreover, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting revealed that OhrR binds directly to a specific region in the intergenic region betweenohrandohrRthat shares extensive nucleotide sequence similarity with so-called “OhrR boxes” described in other bacteria. While Ohr plays a prominent role in protectingB. abortus2308 from organic hydroperoxide stress inin vitroassays, this protein is not required for the wild-type virulence of this strain in cultured murine macrophages or experimentally infected mice.