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Fusions of flagellar operons to lactose genes on a mu lac bacteriophage.

Previous studies have defined 29 genes necessary for synthesis of the Escherichia coli flagellar apparatus. This study analyzed the transcriptional control of flagellar genes, using Mu d (Apr lac) phage to generate flagellar mutants by insertion. These mutants contained operon fusions of flagellar genes to the lac genes of the Mu d phage and allowed the measurement of flagellar operon expression by detection of beta-galactosidase activity. These fusion mutants expressed the enzyme activity constitutively, and an autogenous regulation mechanism was not revealed. Lambda transducing phages carrying these chromosomal fla-lac fusions were also isolated and used to examine the effect of different fla mutations on expression of each flagellar operon. The results showed that flagellar operons are divided into six classes; (class 1) the flbB operon, which controls all of the other flagellar operons; (class 2) the flaU and flbC operons, which are controlled by the flbB operon gene products and are not required for the expression of other Fla operons; (class 3) the flbA, flaG, flaD, flaN, flaB, and flaA operons, which are under flbB operon control and are required for the expression of other fla operons; (class4) the flaZ operon, which is controlled by the gene products of the group 1 and 3 operons and is required for hag transcription; (class 5) the mocha and flaS operons, which are controlled by the gene products of the group 1 and 3 operons; and (class 6) the hag operon. These results are discussed with respect to the possible assembly sequence of the fla gene products.

Coliphages

Effects of sigmaS and the transcriptional activator AppY on induction of the Escherichia coli hya and cbdAB-appA operons in response to carbon and phosphate starvation.

The transcriptional regulation of two energy metabolism operons, hya and cbdAB-appA, has been investigated during carbon and phosphate starvation. The hya operon encodes hydrogenase 1, and the cbdAB-appA operon encodes cytochrome bd-II oxidase and acid phosphatase, pH 2.5. Both operons are targets for the transcriptional activator AppY. In exponential growth, expression of the hya and cbd operons was reduced in an rpoS mutant lacking the RNA polymerase sigmaS factor, and the induction of the two operons by entry into stationary phase in rich medium was strongly dependent on sigmaS. Both operons were induced by carbon starvation, but only induction of the hya operon was dependent on sigmaS, whereas that of the cbd promoter was dependent on AppY. The appY gene also showed sigmaS-dependent induction by carbon starvation. The cbd and hya operons were also found to exhibit a sigmaS-dependent transient twofold induction by osmotic upshift. Like the cbd operon, the hya operon was highly induced by phosphate starvation. For both operons the induction was strongly dependent on AppY. The induction ratio of the two operons was the same in rpoS+ and rpoS mutant strains, indicating that the phosphate starvation-induced increase in sigmaS concentration is not involved in the phosphate regulation of these operons.

Anaerobiosis

Transcriptional analysis of the flgK and fliD operons of Salmonella typhimurium which encode flagellar hook-associated proteins.

In Salmonella typhimurium, three hook-associated proteins, HAP1, HAP2 and HAP3, are known to be essential for formation of flagellar filament. HAP1 and HAP2 are encoded by the flgK and flgL genes, respectively, which together constitute an operon, called the flgK operon. HAP3 is encoded by the fliD gene which forms part of the fliD operon together with the fliS and fliT genes. In the flagellar regulon, the operons are divided into three classes, 1, 2 and 3, based on their positions within a transcriptional hierarchy. Transcriptional analysis suggested that the flgK and fliD operons should belong to class 3, whose expression is dependent on the flagellum-specific sigma factor FliA. However, biochemical data indicated that these HAP proteins are detectable even in the hook-basal body structures produced by the fliA mutant. This work was carried out to resolve this discrepancy. More careful examination of transcription revealed that the fliA mutation reduces but does not eliminate the expression of these operons, whereas a mutation in the flhD operon, which encodes activator proteins for the class 2 operons, eliminates their expression. This suggests that the flgK and fliD operons may be transcribed from both class 2 and class 3 promoters. Primer extension analysis indicated that the promoter region of fliD contains both class 2 and class 3 promoters, while that of flgK contains only a class 3 promoter. Transposon insertion into the flgB operon, which belongs to class 2 and lies upstream of the flgK operon, was found to decrease the expression of the flgK operon to the basal level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence

Regulation of the bgl operon of Escherichia coli by transcriptional antitermination.

The bgl operon of Escherichia coli encodes all functions necessary for the regulated uptake and utilization of aryl beta-glucosides. The operon is unusual, however, in that it is cryptic in wild-type strains, requiring activation by mutational events. The vast majority of these mutations are due to transposition of insertion elements into the promoter region of the operon. In this report we show that integration of IS5 into the vicinity of the bgl promoter (P0) enhances its activity by greater than 60-fold thereby activating the operon. In the activated state the operon is subject to induction by substrate. Recent studies have shown that induction of the bgl operon by substrate involves antitermination within the leader of the operon. We now show that substrate-dependent regulation involves specific termination/antitermination of transcription at two signal structures flanking the first gene of the operon, bglG. Antitermination is mediated by the product of gene bglG. In the absence of substrate this antitermination is prevented by the action of the product of gene bglF (the second gene of the operon), which encodes the beta-glucoside-specific transport protein (enzymeIIBgl of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system, PTS) resulting in repression of the operon. The bgl promoter (P0) is not subject to substrate-dependent regulation. The bgl operon has two additional promoters (P1 and P2) located within the terminators, which could also participate in regulation.

DNA Transposable Elements

Comparison of the expression of the seven ribosomal RNA operons in Escherichia coli.

We have compared the expression of the seven ribosomal RNA operons (rrn) of Escherichia coli and their responses to a variety of physiological and genetic perturbations. We used a set of rrn promoter fusion constructs in their native chromosomal positions to examine effects of chromosomal location on rrn operon expression and the same set of fusions on lambda lysogens to assay intrinsic promoter strengths independent of chromosome context. In its native chromosomal location, expression of the rrnH operon was significantly lower than expected. This effect was not attributable to weak promoter activity and was dependent on the growth medium. The rrnE operon had reduced promoter activity relative to the other ribosomal operons in minimal medium and thus appears to have abnormal growth rate regulation. The ribosomal RNA operons showed varied responses to amino acid starvation; expression of rrnD was inhibited most. There was only a slight increase in rrn transcription in response to a temperature shift (30 degrees C to 42 degrees C) and the differences between individual operons was very small. The rrnG operon showed a significantly lower response than the other ribosomal RNA operons to a depletion of the rrn transcription activator, Fis, and thus appears to have decreased Fis-mediated transactivation. Finally, the chromosomal fusion strains were used to study the effect on growth rate of inactivating each rrn operon. In fast growth conditions, loss of certain rrn operons caused subtle decreases in growth rate on complex medium.

Base Sequence

Delineation of two distinct regulatory domains in the 5' region of the nar operon of Escherichia coli.

A detailed restriction site map was determined for an 8.4-kilobase DNA fragment containing the 5' regulatory and promoter region of the nar operon of Escherichia coli. The 5' end of the nar operon was subcloned as a 2.5-kilobase fragment, and an intact nar operon was constructed from this subcloned fragment and an EcoRI fragment containing the remainder of the nar operon. A set of Bal 31 deletions extending into the 5' region of the intact operon was selected, mapped, and characterized. Based on the synthesis of the alpha and beta subunits of nitrate reductase in a nar::Tn5 mutant, three categories of deletions were found: (i) those which permitted normal expression, (ii) those which completely prevented expression, and (iii) those which permitted anaerobic expression of the operon but prevented any additional induction by nitrate. The nucleotide sequence was determined for a segment of the nar promoter region starting at one of the latter deletion end points and extending into the first structural gene of the operon. The position of the deletion end point relative to the translation start site for the first structural gene, narG, was defined by identifying the nucleotide sequence for the first 20 N-terminal amino acid residues of the alpha subunit of nitrate reductase. Deletions terminating 161 base pairs (bp) and approximately 200 bp upstream from the narG translation start site permitted anaerobic formation of nitrate reductase but interfered with the stimulation of nar operon expression by nitrate. A maximum size for the regulatory region was defined by two Tn5 insertions, which mapped approximately 550 bp 5' from the translation start site and did not interfere with the normal expression of nitrate reductase under anaerobic conditions with or without nitrate. We conclude that the nar operon 5' regulatory region is divided into two distinct regions: the 100 to 150 bp immediately 5' to the narG gene include a transcriptional start site and the signals necessary for anaerobic expression of the operon, and an adjacent region of 50 to 400 bp is required for the stimulation of operon expression by nitrate.

Base Sequence

A rationale for autoinduction of a transcriptional activator: ethanolamine ammonia-lyase (EutBC) and the operon activator (EutR) compete for adenosyl-cobalamin in Salmonella typhimurium.

The ethanolamine utilization (eut) operon of Salmonella typhimurium is controlled by a positive regulatory protein (EutR) which stimulates eut operon expression in response to the simultaneous presence of two effectors, ethanolamine and adenosyl-cobalamin (Ado-B12). Ado-B12 is a cofactor for ethanolamine ammonia-lyase (lyase), the first enzyme in the ethanolamine-degradative pathway. The dependence of this pathway on the use of Ado-B12 as an effector in eut operon induction may be explained by its role in the degradation of ethanolamine and the fact that this cofactor is not always made by S. typhimurium. The eutR gene lies within the eut operon, and its autoinduction is required for maximum operon expression. Evidence is presented that the placement of the eutR regulatory gene within the operon provides a means of balancing the competition between lyase and the regulatory protein for a very small pool of Ado-B12. Since both lyase and the regulatory protein are induced, they can compete more equally for a small pool of Ado-B12. This permits both continued eut operon induction and lyase activity. Two general observations support this model. First, mutations that inactivate lyase allow the operon to be fully induced by a lower level of exogenous cobalamin (CN-B12) than required by a wild-type operon. This increase in sensitivity is measured as a reduction in the apparent Km for operon induction by exogenous CN-B12. Second, the maximum level of operon induction by excess CN-B12 is dictated by the level of EutR regulatory protein, regardless of the level of lyase.

Bacterial Proteins

An Escherichia coli chromosomal ars operon homolog is functional in arsenic detoxification and is conserved in gram-negative bacteria.

Arsenic is a known toxic metalloid, whose trivalent and pentavalent ions can inhibit many biochemical processes. Operons which encode arsenic resistance have been found in multicopy plasmids from both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The resistance mechanism is encoded from a single operon which typically consists of an arsenite ion-inducible repressor that regulates expression of an arsenate reductase and inner membrane-associated arsenite export system. Using a lacZ transcriptional gene fusion library, we have identified an Escherichia coli operon whose expression is induced by cellular exposure to sodium arsenite at concentrations as low as 5 micrograms/liter. This chromosomal operon was cloned, sequenced, and found to consist of three cistrons which we named arsR, arsB, and arsC because of their strong homology to plasmid-borne ars operons. Mutants in the chromosomal ars operon were found to be approximately 10- to 100-fold more sensitive to sodium arsenate and arsenite exposure than wild-type E. coli, while wild-type E. coli that contained the operon cloned on a ColE1-based plasmid was found to be at least 2- to 10-fold more resistant to sodium arsenate and arsenite. Moreover, Southern blotting and high-stringency hybridization of this operon with chromosomal DNAs from a number of bacterial species showed homologous sequences among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, and hybridization was detectable even in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These results suggest that the chromosomal ars operon may be the evolutionary precursor of the plasmid-borne operon, as a multicopy plasmid location would allow the operon to be amplified and its products to confer increased resistance to this toxic metalloid.

Adenosine Triphosphatases

Effect of growth conditions on expression of the acid phosphatase (cyx-appA) operon and the appY gene, which encodes a transcriptional activator of Escherichia coli.

The expression and transcriptional regulation of the Escherichia coli cyx-appA operon and the appY gene have been investigated under different environmental conditions with single-copy transcriptional lacZ fusions. The cyx-appA operon encodes acid phosphatase and a putative cytochrome oxidase. ArcA and AppY activated transcription of the cyx-appA operon during entry into stationary phase and under anaerobic growth conditions. The expression of the cyx-appA operon was affected by the anaerobic energy metabolism. The presence of the electron acceptors nitrate and fumarate repressed the expression of the cyx-appA operon. The nitrate repression was partially dependent on NarL. A high level of expression of the operon was obtained in glucose medium supplemented with formate, in which E. coli obtains energy by fermentation. The formate induction was independent of the fhlA gene product. The results presented in this paper indicate a clear difference in the regulation of the cyx-appA operon and that of the cyd operon, encoding the cytochrome d oxidase complex. The results suggest that cytochrome x oxidase has a function under even more-oxygen-limiting conditions than cytochrome d oxidase. The expression of the appY gene is induced immediately by anaerobiosis, and this anaerobic induction is independent of Fnr, and AppY, but dependent on ArcA. The expression of the appY gene is not affected significantly by the anaerobic energy metabolism, i.e., fermentation versus anaerobic respiration. A model incorporating the anaerobic regulation of the appY gene and the two operons which are controlled by AppY, the hydrogenase 1 (hya) operon and the acid phosphatase (cyx-appA) operon, is presented. The expression of the appY gene is inversely correlated with the growth rate and is induced by phosphate starvation as well as during entry into stationary phase. During oxygen-limiting conditions the stationary-phase induction is partially dependent on ArcA. The alternative sigma factor sigma S has limited influence on the transcription of the appY gene during entry into stationary phase and no effect on the induction by phosphate starvation.

Acid Phosphatase

Nucleotide sequence and functional analysis of regulatory region of the lumP and the lux operon from Photobacterium leiognathi.

The lumP gene is linked to the lux operon, but runs in the opposite direction in Photobacterium leiognathi PL741. The gene order of the lumP and the lux operon is < -lumP-R & R-luxC-luxD-luxA-luxB-luxN-luxE- > (R & R: regulatory region). The nucleotide sequence of the regulatory region (827-bp) between the lumP and the lux operon was determined. Sequence analysis illustrates that the regulatory region includes two divergent promoter systems, PR-promoter system for the lux operon (R-operon) and PL-promoter system for the lumP or lum operon (L-operon). Functional analysis of the regulatory region shows that the PR- and PL-promoter systems both are able to lead the gene expression. The deletion experiment result elicits that the PR- and PL-promoter are coordinatively and negatively regulated; the PR- and PL-promoter might be competing for recognition by RNA polymerase to initiate transcription. The fact of the LumP responsible for the spectral blue shift in P. leiognathi implied that the lumP gene closedly linked to the lux operon is for coordinative regulation with the lux operon. In addition, the glucose repression on the PR-promoter system shows that the expression of the lux operon is regulated by cAMP-CRP induction in E. coli.

Base Sequence

Non-autogenous control of ribosomal protein synthesis from the trmD operon in Escherichia coli.

The trmD operon of Escherichia coli encodes the ribosomal proteins S16 and L19, the tRNA(m1G37)methyltransferase and a 21,000 Mr protein of unknown function. Here we demonstrate that, in contrast to the expression of other ribosomal protein operons, the amount of trmD operon mRNA and the rate of synthesis of the proteins encoded by the operon respond to increased gene dosage. The steady-state level of the mRNA was about 18 times higher, and the relative rate of synthesis of the ribosomal proteins S16 and L19, the tRNA(m1G37)methyltransferase and the 21,000 Mr protein was 15, 9, 25 and 23 times higher, respectively, in plasmid-containing cells than in plasmid-free cells. Overproduced tRNA(m1G37)methyltransferase and 21,000 Mr protein were as stable as E. coli total protein, whereas the two ribosomal proteins were degraded to a large extent. The steady-state amount of S16 and L19 in the plasmid-containing cells exceeded that in plasmid-free cells by threefold and twofold, respectively. No significant effect on the synthesis of the trmD operon proteins from the chromosomally located genes was observed when parts of the operon were expressed on different plasmids. Taken together, these results suggest that the expression of the trmD operon is not subject to transcriptional or translational feedback regulation, and demonstrate that not all ribosomal protein operons are regulated in the same manner. We propose that ribosomal protein operons that do not encode proteins that bind directly to rRNA are not under autogenous control. Metabolic regulation at the transcriptional level and protein degradation are plausible mechanisms for the control of expression of such operons.

Escherichia coli

Sequence of the 5S rRNA gene and organization of ribosomal RNA operons in Streptomyces rimosus.

One Streptomyces rimosus ribosomal RNA gene set (rrnF) was cloned into pBR322 as 8.8 kilobase-pairs BamHI fragment and sequence of the 3' end of the operon with 5S rRNA gene was determined. 5S rRNA gene is 120 bp long and highly homologous with two other known 5S rRNA from Streptomyces. Remarkable sequence homology with S. ambofaciens rrnD operon exists in the 3' noncoding regions, including first transcription termination signal. S. rimosus rrnF operon contains second putative terminator which is absent in S. ambofaciens rrnD operon. tRNA genes were not found at the 3' end of rrnF operon. The number of rRNA operons in S. rimosus was defined by Southern hybridization analysis. S. rimosus possess six rRNA operons and all rRNA operons contain identical PstI fragment of 4.5 kb. rRNA genes in operons are separated by short intergenic regions and organized in the order 16S-23S-5S. Efforts to connect tRNA genes with S. rimosus rRNA operons were unsuccessful.

Base Sequence

The trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP) regulates the steady-state levels of transcripts of the Bacillus subtilis folate operon.

The Bacillus subtilis folate operon contains nine genes. The first six genes are involved in the biosynthesis of folic acid and tryptophan and have been characterized previously. The 3'-region of the folate operon contains three additional ORFs: orf3, potentially encoding a DNA-binding protein of 68 amino acids, orf4, encoding a protein of 338 amino acids with homology to the Orf1 of the E. coli fis operon, and a putative lysyl-tRNA synthetase gene (LysS). Four transcripts were identified which encode the first two, eight or all nine proteins or only the last protein LysS. The folate operon contains two promoters, one upstream of the first gene and the second preceding LysS. Transcription of the entire folate operon starts 33 bp upstream of the ATG codon of pab, the first gene of the operon. The mtrB-encoded trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP) dramatically reduces the steady-state levels of the folate operon transcripts encoding the first eight and all nine proteins, but only has a relatively small effect on the steady-state level of the 2.1 kb transcript encoding the first two genes of the operon, pab and trpG. In addition, transcription of the folate operon is regulated in a growth-phase-dependent manner. Transcripts were present in very low levels after mid-exponential phase, but were dramatically increased directly after transfer of the cells to fresh medium. These results indicate that transcription of the folate operon is regulated by TRAP and also depends on the growth phase of the culture.

Bacillus subtilis

Differential regulation of multiple overlapping promoters in flagellar class II operons in Escherichia coli.

The Escherichia coli flagellar operons are divided into three categories: classes I, II and III. Expression of class II depends on expression of class I. One of the class II gene products, the FIIA protein, is an alternative sigma factor (sigma 28) required for transcription of the class III operons. In this study, we have characterized, in vitro, a role of sigma 28 in the regulation of the class II operons. Among the three class II operons examined, the fliA and fliL operons, but not the flhB operon, could be transcribed by both sigma 70 RNA polymerase holoenzyme with FihD/C (E sigma 70-FlhD/C) and sigma 28 RNA polymerase holoenzyme (E sigma 28). The flhB operon could only be transcribed by E sigma 70-FlhD/C under the conditions used. Both the fliA and fliL operons contained two overlapping promoters oriented in tandem. The transcription of fliA directed by E sigma 28 could outcompete that by E sigma 70-FlhD/C, indicating a positive autoregulation. However, E sigma 28 could not displace E sigma 70-FlhD/C bound to the fliL promoter. The sigma 28-mediated positive regulation of the class II operons involved a mechanism in which sigma 28 competed with sigma 70 for core RNA polymerase. In addition, recruitment of core RNA polymerase from the sigma 70 -10 site to the sigma 28 -10 was facilitated by formation of E sigma 70-FlhD/C pre-initiation complex. Taken together, the three class II promoters investigated are different in terms of their regulation by sigma 28. We propose that class II operons may be further divided into different subcategories.

Bacterial Proteins