scholarly journals H-NS and StpA Proteins Stimulate Expression of the Maltose Regulon in Escherichia coli

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (23) ◽  
pp. 6117-6125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörgen Johansson ◽  
Björn Dagberg ◽  
Evelyne Richet ◽  
Bernt Eric Uhlin

ABSTRACT The nucleoid-associated protein H-NS is a major component of the chromosome-protein complex, and it is known to influence the regulation of many genes in Escherichia coli. Its role in gene regulation is manifested by the increased expression of several gene products in hns mutant strains. Here we report findings showing that H-NS and the largely homologous protein StpA play a positive role in the expression of genes in the maltose regulon. In studies with hns mutant strains and derivatives also deficient in the stpA gene, we found that expression of the LamB porin was decreased. Our results showed that the amounts of both LamB protein and lamB mRNA were greatly reduced inhns and hns-stpA mutant strains. The same results were obtained when we monitored the amount of transcription from the malEFG operon. The lamB gene is situated in the malKlamBmalM operon, which forms a divergent operon complex together with the malEFG operon. The activation of these genes depends on the action of the maltose regulon activator MalT and the global activator cyclic AMP receptor protein. Using a malT-lacZ translational fusion and antiserum raised against MalT to measure the expression of MalT, we detected reduced MalT expression in hns andhns-stpA mutant strains in comparison with the wild-type strain. Our results suggest that the H-NS and StpA proteins stimulate MalT translation and hence play a positive role in the control of the maltose regulon.

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (10) ◽  
pp. 2850-2853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Conter ◽  
Rachel Sturny ◽  
Claude Gutierrez ◽  
Kaymeuang Cam

ABSTRACT The RcsCB His-Asp phosphorelay system regulates the expression of several genes of Escherichia coli, but the molecular nature of the inducing signal is still unknown. We show here that treatment of an exponentially growing culture of E. coli with the cationic amphipathic compound chlorpromazine (CPZ) stimulates expression of a set of genes positively regulated by the RcsCB system. This induction is abolished in rcsB or rcsC mutant strains. In addition, treatment with CPZ inhibits growth. The wild-type strain is able to recover from this inhibition and resume growth after a period of adaptation. In contrast, strains deficient in the RcsCB His-Asp phosphorelay system are hypersensitive to CPZ. These results suggest that cells must express specific RcsCB-regulated genes in order to cope with the CPZ-induced stress. This is the first report of the essential role of the RcsCB system in a stress situation. These results also strengthen the notion that alterations of the cell envelope induce a signal recognized by the RcsC sensor.


1978 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 629-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
La Verne Russell ◽  
Hiroshi Yamazaki

The amount of asparaginase II in an Escherichia coli wild-type strain (cya+, crp+) markedly increased upon a shift from aerobic to anaerobic growth. However, no such increase occurred in a mutant (cya) lacking cyclic AMP synthesis unless supplemented with exogenous cyclic AMP. Since a mutant (crp) deficient in cyclic AMP receptor protein also did not support the anaerobic formation of this enzyme, it is concluded that the formation of E. coli asparaginase II depends on both cyclic AMP and cyclic AMP receptor protein.


2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (17) ◽  
pp. 5538-5548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo I. Nikel ◽  
Jiangfeng Zhu ◽  
Ka-Yiu San ◽  
Beatriz S. Méndez ◽  
George N. Bennett

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli has several elaborate sensing mechanisms for response to availability of oxygen and other electron acceptors, as well as the carbon source in the surrounding environment. Among them, the CreBC and ArcAB two-component signal transduction systems are responsible for regulation of carbon source utilization and redox control in response to oxygen availability, respectively. We assessed the role of CreBC and ArcAB in regulating the central carbon metabolism of E. coli under microaerobic conditions by means of 13C-labeling experiments in chemostat cultures of a wild-type strain, ΔcreB and ΔarcA single mutants, and a ΔcreB ΔarcA double mutant. Continuous cultures were conducted at D = 0.1 h−1 under carbon-limited conditions with restricted oxygen supply. Although all experimental strains metabolized glucose mainly through the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway, mutant strains had significantly lower fluxes in both the oxidative and the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathways. Significant differences were also found at the pyruvate branching point. Both pyruvate-formate lyase and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex contributed to acetyl-coenzyme A synthesis from pyruvate, and their activity seemed to be modulated by both ArcAB and CreBC. Strains carrying the creB deletion showed a higher biomass yield on glucose compared to the wild-type strain and its ΔarcA derivative, which also correlated with higher fluxes from building blocks to biomass. Glyoxylate shunt and lactate dehydrogenase were active mainly in the ΔarcA strain. Finally, it was observed that the tricarboxylic acid cycle reactions operated in a rather cyclic fashion under our experimental conditions, with reduced activity in the mutant strains.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (2) ◽  
pp. 580-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Self ◽  
Adnan Hasona ◽  
K. T. Shanmugam

ABSTRACT On the basis of hyf-lacZ fusion studies, the hyf operon of Escherichia coli, noted for encoding the fourth hydrogenase isoenzyme (HYD4), is not expressed at a significant level in a wild-type strain. However, mutant FhlA proteins (constitutive activators of the hyc-encoded hydrogenase 3 isoenzyme) activated hyf-lacZ. HyfR, an FhlA homolog encoded by the hyfR gene present at the end of the hyf operon, also activated transcription of hyf-lacZ but did so only when hyfR was expressed from a heterologous promoter. The HYD4 isoenzyme did not substitute for HYD3 in H2 production. Optimum expression of hyf-lacZ required the presence of cyclic AMP receptor protein-cyclic AMP complex and anaerobic conditions when HyfR was the activator.


Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 148 (4) ◽  
pp. 1579-1585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roel M Schaaper

Abstract Antimutators are mutant strains that have reduced mutation rates compared to the corresponding wild-type strain. Their existence, along with mutator mutants that have higher mutation rates compared to the wild-type strain, are powerful evidence that mutation rates are genetically controlled. Compared to mutator mutants, antimutators have a very distinguishing property. Because they prevent normally occurring mutations, they, uniquely, are capable of providing insight into the mechanisms of spontaneous mutations. In this review, antimutator mutants are discussed in bacteriophage T4 and the bacterium Escherichia coli, with regard to their properties, possible mechanisms, and implications for the sources of spontaneous mutations in these two organisms.


2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 928-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Wu ◽  
Seok-Woo Lee ◽  
Jeffrey D. Hillman ◽  
Ann Progulske-Fox

ABSTRACT An in vivo expression technology (IVET) system was designed to identify previously unknown virulence genes of Porphyromonas gingivalis. Fourteen ivi (for in vivo induced) genes that are induced during infection in a mouse abscess model were identified in our study. Of these, seven had homology to genes in the NCBI database, and the rest had no homology to reported DNA sequences. In order to determine virulence-related properties of these genes, three mutant strains, deleted of ivi8 (no homology to genes in the database), ivi10 (homologous to a putative TonB-dependent outer membrane receptor protein), and ivi11 (an immunoreactive 33-kDa antigen PG125 in P. gingivalis), were created. The mutants were tested in a mouse abscess model for alterations in virulence relative to the wild type by a competition assay in BALB/c mice. After 5 days we observed the enrichment of the wild-type strain over mutant strains Δivi10 and Δivi11, which indicated that mutant strains Δivi10 and Δivi11 are less able to survive in this model than the wild-type strain, while Δivi8 survives as well as the wild-type strain. We propose that knockout of these ivi genes reduced the ability of the mutated P. gingivalis to survive and cause infection compared to the wild-type strain at the site of injection. Also, in separate experiments, groups of mice were challenged with subcutaneous injections of each individual mutant strain (Δivi8, Δivi10, and Δivi11) or with the wild-type strain alone and were then examined to assess their general health status. The results showed that knockout of these ivi genes conferred a reduction in virulence. The ability of the mutants to invade KB cells compared to the wild type was also determined. Interestingly, the CFU counts of the mutant strain Δivi10 recovered from KB cells were eight times lower than those of the wild type, indicating that this mutant has a lower capacity for invasion. These results demonstrate that IVET is a powerful tool in discovering virulence genes and the significant role that ivi genes play in the pathogenesis of this species.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhilash Mohan ◽  
Amrisha Bhosle ◽  
Nagasuma Chandra

We report the whole-genome sequences of an Escherichia coli laboratory wild-type strain and trimethoprim-resistant strains (two biological replicates, TMP32XR1 and TMP32XR2). Compared to the U00096.3 strain, a widely used strain in laboratory experiments, the laboratory wild-type strain and the drug-resistant strains evolved from this (TMP32XR1 and TMP32XR2) are 13, 24, and 37 bp longer, respectively.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (17) ◽  
pp. 5187-5197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Sperandio ◽  
Alfredo G. Torres ◽  
Jorge A. Girón ◽  
James B. Kaper

ABSTRACT Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is responsible for outbreaks of bloody diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in many countries. EHEC virulence mechanisms include the production of Shiga toxins (Stx) and formation of attaching and effacing (AE) lesions on intestinal epithelial cells. We recently reported that genes involved in the formation of the AE lesion were regulated by quorum sensing through autoinducer-2, which is synthesized by the product of the luxS gene. In this study we hybridized an E. coli gene array with cDNA synthesized from RNA that was extracted from EHEC strain 86-24 and its isogenicluxS mutant. We observed that 404 genes were regulated by luxS at least fivefold, which comprises approximately 10% of the array genes; 235 of these genes were up-regulated and 169 were down-regulated in the wild-type strain compared to in theluxS mutant. Down-regulated genes included several involved in cell division, as well as ribosomal and tRNA genes. Consistent with this pattern of gene expression, theluxS mutant grows faster than the wild-type strain (generation times of 37.5 and 60 min, respectively, in Dulbecco modified Eagle medium). Up-regulated genes included several involved in the expression and assembly of flagella, motility, and chemotaxis. Using operon::lacZ fusions to class I, II, and III flagellar genes, we were able to confirm this transcriptional regulation. We also observed fewer flagella by Western blotting and electron microscopy and decreased motility halos in semisolid agar in the luxS mutant. The average swimming speeds for the wild-type strain and the luxS mutant are 12.5 and 6.6 μm/s, respectively. We also observed an increase in the production of Stx due to quorum sensing. Genes encoding Stx, which are transcribed along with λ-like phage genes, are induced by an SOS response, and genes involved in the SOS response were also regulated by quorum sensing. These results indicate that quorum sensing is a global regulatory mechanism for basic physiological functions of E. coli as well as for virulence factors.


1972 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 909-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Singh ◽  
K.-J. Cheng ◽  
J. W. Costerton ◽  
E. S. Idziak ◽  
J. M. Ingram

The site of the cell barrier to actinomycin-D uptake was studied using a wild-type Escherichia coli strain P and its cell envelope-defective filamentous mutants, strains 6γ and 12γ, both of which 'leak' β-galactosidase and alkaline phosphatase into the medium during growth indicating both membrane and cell-wall defects. Actinomycin-D entered the cells of these two mutant strains as evidenced by the inhibition of both 14C-uracil incorporation and synthesis of the induced β-galactosidase system. Under similar conditions, no inhibition occurred in the wild-type strain and its sucrose-lysozyme prepared spheroplasts. Actinomycin-D did, however, inhibit the above-mentioned systems in the wild-type sucrose-lysozyme spheroplasts prepared in the presence of 2 mM EDTA. The experimental data indicate that although the cell wall may act as a primary barrier or sieve to actinomycin-D, the cytoplasmic membrane should be considered the final and determinative barrier to this antibiotic.


1985 ◽  
Vol 229 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Okada ◽  
S Natori

When Escherichia coli was treated with sarcotoxin I, a potent bactericidal protein of Sarcophaga peregrina (fleshfly), K+ inside of the cells leaked out rapidly and the ATP pool of the cells rapidly decreased. These results suggested that the bactericidal effect of sarcotoxin I was due to its ionophore activity, and that it blocked the generation of ATP by inhibiting formation of the proton gradient essential for oxidative phosphorylation. This was confirmed by use of an uncA mutant, which was much less susceptible than the wild-type strain to sarcotoxin I under fixed ionic conditions.


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