scholarly journals The VirR Response Regulator from Clostridium perfringens Binds Independently to Two Imperfect Direct Repeats Located Upstream of the pfoA Promoter

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie K. Cheung ◽  
Julian I. Rood
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Direct Repeats ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Perfringolysin O ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting ◽  
Gel Mobility Shift

ABSTRACT Regulation of toxin production in the gram-positive anaerobeClostridium perfringens occurs at the level of transcription and involves a two-component signal transduction system. The sensor histidine kinase is encoded by the virS gene, while its cognate response regulator is encoded by the virRgene. We have constructed a VirR expression plasmid inEscherichia coli and purified the resultant His-tagged VirR protein. Gel mobility shift assays demonstrated that VirR binds to the region upstream of the pfoA gene, which encodes perfringolysin O, but not to regions located upstream of the VirR-regulated plc, colA, and pfoRgenes, which encode alpha-toxin, collagenase, and a putativepfoA regulator, respectively. The VirR binding site was shown by DNase I footprinting to be a 52-bp core sequence situated immediately upstream of the pfoA promoter. When this region was deleted, VirR was no longer able to bind to the pfoApromoter. The binding site was further localized to two imperfect direct repeats (CCCAGTTNTNCAC) by site-directed mutagenesis. Binding and protection analysis of these mutants indicated that VirR had the ability to bind independently to the two repeated sequences. Based on these observations it is postulated that the VirR positively regulates the synthesis of perfringolysin O by binding directly to a region located immediately upstream of the pfoA promoter and activating transcription.

scholarly journals Transition State Regulator AbrB Inhibits Transcription of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB45 Phytase through Binding at Two Distinct Sites Located within the Extended phyC Promoter Region

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (19) ◽  
pp. 6467-6474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliwia Makarewicz ◽  
Svetlana Neubauer ◽  
Corinna Preusse ◽  
Rainer Borriss
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens ◽  
Promoter Region ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting ◽  
Regulator Protein ◽  
Transition State Regulator ◽  
Gel Mobility Shift

ABSTRACT We have previously identified the phyC gene of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB45, encoding extracellular phytase, as a member of the PhoP regulon, which is expressed only during phosphate starvation. Its σA-dependent promoter is positively and negatively regulated by the phosphorylated PhoP response regulator in a phosphate-dependent manner (O. Makarewicz, S. Dubrac, T. Msadek, and R. Borriss, J. Bacteriol. 188:6953-6965, 2006). Here, we provide experimental evidence that the transcription of phyC underlies a second control mechanism exerted by the global transient-phase regulator protein, AbrB, which hinders its expression during exponential growth. Gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting experiments demonstrated that AbrB binds to two different regions in the phyC promoter region that are separated by about 200 bp. One binding site is near the divergently orientated yodU gene, and the second site is located downstream of the phyC promoter and extends into the coding region of the phyC gene. Cooperative binding to the two distant binding regions is necessary for the AbrB-directed repression of phyC transcription. AbrB does not affect the transcription of the neighboring yodU gene.

scholarly journals The Spatial Organization of the VirR Boxes Is Critical for VirR-Mediated Expression of the Perfringolysin O Gene, pfoA, from Clostridium perfringens

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (11) ◽  
pp. 3321-3330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie K. Cheung ◽  
Bruno Dupuy ◽  
Deanna S. Deveson ◽  
Julian I. Rood
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Reporter System ◽  
Perfringolysin O ◽  
Target Dna ◽  
Two Component Signal Transduction ◽  
Cognate Response Regulator

ABSTRACT The transcriptional regulation of toxin production in the gram-positive anaerobe Clostridium perfringens involves a two-component signal transduction system that comprises the VirS sensor histidine kinase and its cognate response regulator, VirR. Previous studies showed that VirR binds independently to a pair of imperfect direct repeats, now designated VirR box 1 and VirR box 2, located immediately upstream of the promoter of the pfoA gene, which encodes the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin, perfringolysin O. For this study, we introduced mutated VirR boxes into a C. perfringens pfoA mutant and found that both VirR boxes are essential for transcriptional activation. Furthermore, the spacing between the VirR boxes and the distance between the VirR boxes and the −35 region are shown to be critical for perfringolysin O production. Other VirR boxes that were previously identified from the strain 13 genome sequence were also analyzed, with perfringolysin O production used as a reporter system. The results showed that placement of the different VirR boxes at the same position upstream of the pfoA promoter yields different levels of perfringolysin O activity. In all of these constructs, VirR was still capable of binding to the target DNA, indicating that DNA binding alone is not sufficient for transcriptional activation. Finally, we show that the C. perfringens RNA polymerase binds more efficiently to the pfoA promoter in the presence of VirR, indicating that interactions must occur between these proteins. We propose that these interactions are required for VirR-mediated transcriptional activation.

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.

Positive and negative transcriptional elements of the human type IV collagenase gene

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 6524-6532
Author(s):  
S M Frisch ◽  
J H Morisaki
Keyword(s):  
Core Promoter ◽  
Type Iv Collagenase ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Enhancer Element ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting ◽  
Gel Mobility Shift ◽  
Transcriptional Elements ◽  
Mcf 7

Proteolysis by type IV collagenase (T4) has been implicated in the process of tumor metastasis. The T4 gene is expressed in fibroblasts, but not in normal epithelial cells, and its expression is specifically repressed by the E1A oncogene of adenovirus. We present an investigation of the transcriptional elements responsible for basal, E1A-repressible, and tissue-specific expression. 5'-Deletion analysis, DNase I footprinting, and gel mobility shift assays revealed a strong, E1A-repressible enhancer element, r2, located about 1,650 bp upstream of the start site. This enhancer bound a protein with binding specificity very similar to that of the transcription factor AP-2. A potent silencer sequence was found 2 to 5 bp downstream of this enhancer. The silencer repressed transcription from either r2 or AP-1 enhancer elements and in the context of either type IV collagenase or thymidine kinase (tk) gene core promoters; enhancerless transcription from the latter core promoter was also repressed. Comprising the silencer were two contiguous, autonomously functioning silencer elements. Negative regulation of T4 transcription by at least two factors was demonstrated. mcf-7 proteins specifically binding both elements were detected by gel mobility shift assays; a protein of approximately 185 kDa that bound to one of these elements was detected by DNA-protein cross-linking. The silencer repressed transcription, in an r2 enhancer-tk promoter context, much more efficiently in T4-nonproducing cells (mcf-7 or HeLa) than in T4-producing cells (HT1080), suggesting that cell type-specific silencing may contribute to the regulation of this gene.

Multiple silencer elements are involved in regulating the chicken vimentin gene

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 934-943
Author(s):  
R J Garzon ◽  
Z E Zehner
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filament Protein ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Cis Acting ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting ◽  
Silencer Elements ◽  
Gel Mobility Shift ◽  
Filament Protein ◽  
Silencer Element ◽  
Vimentin Gene

Vimentin, a member of the intermediate filament protein family, exhibits tissue- as well as development-specific expression. Transcription factors that are involved in expression of the chicken vimentin gene have been described and include a cis-acting silencer element (SE3) that is involved in the down-regulation of this gene (F. X. Farrell, C. M. Sax, and Z. E. Zehner, Mol. Cell. Biol. 10:2349-2358, 1990). In this study, we report the identification of two additional silencer elements (SE1 and SE2). We show by transfection analysis that all three silencer elements are functionally active and that optimal silencing occurs when multiple (at least two) silencer elements are present. In addition, the previously identified SE3 can be divided into three subregions, each of which is moderately active alone. By gel mobility shift assays, all three silencer elements plus SE3 subregions bind a protein which by Southwestern (DNA-protein) blot analysis is identical in molecular mass (approximately 95 kDa). DNase I footprinting experiments indicate that this protein binds to purine-rich sites. Therefore, multiple elements appear to be involved in the negative regulation of the chicken vimentin gene, which may be important in the regulation of other genes as well.

scholarly journals HpdR Is a Transcriptional Activator of Sinorhizobium meliloti hpdA, Which Encodes a Herbicide-Targeted 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (9) ◽  
pp. 3660-3664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suvit Loprasert ◽  
Wirongrong Whangsuk ◽  
James M. Dubbs ◽  
Ratiboot Sallabhan ◽  
Kumpanart Somsongkul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Transcriptional Activator ◽  
Direct Repeat ◽  
Dnase I ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Intergenic Space ◽  
Repeat Sequences ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting ◽  
Gel Mobility Shift

ABSTRACT Sinorhizobium meliloti hpdA, which encodes the herbicide target 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase, is positively regulated by HpdR. Gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting analyses revealed that HpdR binds to a region that spans two conserved direct-repeat sequences within the hpdR-hpdA intergenic space. HpdR-dependent hpdA transcription occurs in the presence of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, as well as during starvation.

scholarly journals Integration Host Factor Positively Regulates Virulence Gene Expression in Vibrio cholerae

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (13) ◽  
pp. 4736-4748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Stonehouse ◽  
Gabriela Kovacikova ◽  
Ronald K. Taylor ◽  
Karen Skorupski
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Dnase I ◽  
Integration Host Factor ◽  
Host Factor ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting

ABSTRACT Virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae is dependent upon a complex transcriptional cascade that is influenced by both specific and global regulators in response to environmental stimuli. Here, we report that the global regulator integration host factor (IHF) positively affects virulence gene expression in V. cholerae. Inactivation of ihfA and ihfB, the genes encoding the IHF subunits, decreased the expression levels of the two main virulence factors tcpA and ctx and prevented toxin-coregulated pilus and cholera toxin production. IHF was found to directly bind to and bend the tcpA promoter region at an IHF consensus site centered at position −162 by using gel mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting experiments. Deletion or mutation of the tcpA IHF consensus site resulted in the loss of IHF binding and additionally disrupted the binding of the repressor H-NS. DNase I footprinting revealed that H-NS protection overlaps with both the IHF and the ToxT binding sites at the tcpA promoter. In addition, disruption of ihfA in an hns or toxT mutant background had no effect on tcpA expression. These results suggest that IHF may function at the tcpA promoter to alleviate H-NS repression.

scholarly journals A Pair of Highly Conserved Two-Component Systems Participates in the Regulation of the Hypervariable FIR Proteins in Different Legionella Species

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (9) ◽  
pp. 3382-3391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Feldman ◽  
Gil Segal
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Regulatory Region ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Essential Components

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila and other pathogenic Legionella species multiply inside protozoa and human macrophages by using the Icm/Dot type IV secretion system. The IcmQ protein, which possesses pore-forming activity, and IcmR, which functions as its chaperone, are two essential components of this system. It was previously shown that in 29 Legionella species, a large hypervariable-gene family (fir genes) is located upstream from a conserved icmQ gene, but although nonhomologous, the FIR proteins were found to function similarly together with their corresponding IcmQ proteins. Alignment of the regulatory regions of 29 fir genes revealed that they can be divided into three regulatory groups; the first group contains a binding site for the CpxR response regulator, which was previously shown to regulate the L. pneumophila fir gene (icmR); the second group, which includes most of the fir genes, contains the CpxR binding site and an additional regulatory element that was identified here as a PmrA binding site; and the third group contains only the PmrA binding site. Analysis of the regulatory region of two fir genes, which included substitutions in the CpxR and PmrA consensus sequences, a controlled expression system, as well as examination of direct binding with mobility shift assays, revealed that both CpxR and PmrA positively regulate the expression of the fir genes that contain both regulatory elements. The change in the regulation of the fir genes that occurred during the course of evolution might be required for the adaptation of the different Legionella species to their specific environmental hosts.

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 The LysR-Type Virulence Activator AphB Regulates the Expression of Genes in Vibrio cholerae in Response to Low pH and Anaerobiosis

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (16) ◽  
pp. 4181-4191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Kovacikova ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
Karen Skorupski
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Chloride Channels ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Global Regulators ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Number Of Genes ◽  
Chromosomal Genes ◽  
Gel Mobility Shift

ABSTRACT AphB is a LysR-type activator that initiates the expression of the virulence cascade in Vibrio cholerae by cooperating with the quorum-sensing-regulated activator AphA at the tcpPH promoter on the Vibrio pathogenicity island (VPI). To identify the ancestral chromosomal genes in V. cholerae regulated by AphB, we carried out a microarray analysis and show here that AphB influences the expression of a number of genes that are not associated with the VPI. One gene strongly activated by AphB is cadC, which encodes the ToxR-like transcriptional activator responsible for activating the expression of lysine decarboxylase, which plays an important role in survival at low pH. Other genes activated by AphB encode a Na+/H+ antiporter, a carbonic anhydrase, a member of the ClC family of chloride channels, and a member of the Gpr1/Fun34/YaaH family. AphB influences each of these genes directly by recognizing a conserved binding site within their promoters, as determined by gel mobility shift assays. Transcriptional lacZ fusions indicate that AphB activates the expression of these genes under aerobic conditions in response to low pH and also under anaerobic conditions at neutral pH. Further experiments show that the regulation of cadC by AphB in response to low pH and anaerobiosis is mirrored in the heterologous organism Escherichia coli, is independent of the global regulators Fnr and ArcAB, and depends upon the region of the promoter that contains the AphB binding site. These results raise the possibility that the activity of AphB is influenced by the pH and oxygen tension of the environment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document