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Diversity in the Bordetella virulence regulon: transcriptional control of a Bvg‐intermediate phase gene
Author(s) -
Deora Rajendar,
Bootsma Hester J.,
Miller Jeff F.,
Cotter Peggy A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2001.02415.x
Subject(s) - regulon , biology , bordetella bronchiseptica , virulence , bordetella , bordetella pertussis , phase variation , gene , bacterial adhesin , phenotype , promoter , genetics , regulation of gene expression , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , transcription (linguistics) , bacteria , linguistics , philosophy
The BvgAS signal transduction system controls the expression of at least three distinct phenotypic phases that lie along a continuum of gene expression states. The Bvg + phase is characterized by the expression of adhesins and toxins, whereas the Bvg − phase is characterized by motility in Bordetella bronchiseptica and the expression of vrg loci in Bordetella pertussis . The Bvg‐intermediate (Bvg i ) phase is characterized by the absence of Bvg‐repressed phenotypes, the expression of some, but not all, Bvg‐activated virulence factors and the presence of a recently discovered set of antigens and phenotypes that are unique to this phase. We report here the transcriptional regulation of bipA , the first‐identified Bvg i phase gene. We have mapped the bipA promoter and identified numerous BvgA binding sites in the transcriptional control region. Based on these data, we present a model in which phase‐dependent expression of bipA results from the spatial distribution and relative affinities of multiple BvgA binding sites relative to the start site of transcription.