Premium
Regulation of toxA and regA by the Escherichia coli fur gene and identification of a Fur homologue in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA103 and PA01
Author(s) -
Prince R. W.,
Storey D. G.,
Vasil A. I.,
Vasil M. L.
Publication year - 1991
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb01991.x
Subject(s) - biology , pseudomonas exotoxin , escherichia coli , vibrio cholerae , microbiology and biotechnology , plasmid , pseudomonas aeruginosa , shigella flexneri , gene , fusion protein , regulator gene , regulation of gene expression , genetics , recombinant dna , bacteria
Summary A multicopy plasmid containing the Escherichia coli fur gene was introduced into Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA103C. This strain contains a toxA‐lacZ fusion integrated into its chromosome at the toxA locus. Beta‐galactosidase synthesis in this strain is regulated by iron, as is seen for exotoxin A production. Beta‐galactosidase synthesis and exotoxin A production in PA103C containing multiple copies of E. coli fur was still repressed in low iron conditions. The transcription of regA , a positive regulator of toxA , was also found to be inhibited by multiple copies of the E. coli fur gene. In addition, the ability of PA103C containing multiple copies of E. coli fur to produce protease was greatly reduced relative to PA103C containing a vector control. A polyclonal rabbit serum containing antibodies that recognize E. coli Fur was used to screen whole‐cell extracts from Vibrio cholerae, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All strains tested expressed a protein that was specifically recognized by the anti‐Fur serum. These results and those described above suggest that Fur structure and function are conserved in a variety of distinct bacterial genera and that at least some of these different genera use this regulatory protein to control genes encoding virulence factors.