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Repression of phase-variable cup gene expression by H-NS-like proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

ABSTRACT: The cupA gene cluster of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes components of a putative fimbrial structure that enable this opportunistic human pathogen to form biofilms on abiotic surfaces. In P. aeruginosa, cupA gene expression is repressed by MvaT, a putative transcription regulator thought to belong to the H-NS family of nucleoid-associated proteins that typically function by repressing transcription. Here, we present evidence that MvaT controls phase-variable (ON/OFF) expression of the cupA fimbrial gene cluster. Using a directed proteomic approach, we show that MvaT associates with a related protein in P. aeruginosa called MvaU. Analysis with a bacterial two-hybrid system designed to facilitate the study of protein dimerization indicates that MvaT and MvaU can form both heteromeric and homomeric complexes, and that formation of these complexes is mediated through the N-terminal regions of MvaT and MvaU, both of which are predicted to adopt a coiled-coil conformation. We show further that, like MvaT, MvaU can repress phase-variable expression of the cupA gene cluster. Our findings suggest that fimbrial genes important for biofilm formation can be expressed in a phase-variable manner in P. aeruginosa, provide insight into the molecular mechanism of MvaT-dependent gene control, and lend further weight to the postulate that MvaT proteins are H-NS-like in nature.

SUBMITTER: Vallet-Gely I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1182424 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Repression of phase-variable cup gene expression by H-NS-like proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Vallet-Gely Isabelle I Donovan Katherine E KE Fang Rui R Joung J Keith JK Dove Simon L SL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20050725 31

The cupA gene cluster of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes components of a putative fimbrial structure that enable this opportunistic human pathogen to form biofilms on abiotic surfaces. In P. aeruginosa, cupA gene expression is repressed by MvaT, a putative transcription regulator thought to belong to the H-NS family of nucleoid-associated proteins that typically function by repressing transcription. Here, we present evidence that MvaT controls phase-variable (ON/OFF) expression of the cupA fimbri ...[more]

PMID: 16043713

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Project description:BackgroundThe bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is capable of three types of motilities: swimming, twitching and swarming. The latter is characterized by a fast and coordinated group movement over a semi-solid surface resulting from intercellular interactions and morphological differentiation. A striking feature of swarming motility is the complex fractal-like patterns displayed by migrating bacteria while they move away from their inoculation point. This type of group behaviour is still poorly understood and its characterization provides important information on bacterial structured communities such as biofilms. Using GeneChip® Affymetrix microarrays, we obtained the transcriptomic profiles of both bacterial populations located at the tip of migrating tendrils and swarm center of swarming colonies and compared these profiles to that of a bacterial control population grown on the same media but solidified to not allow swarming motility.ResultsMicroarray raw data were corrected for background noise with the RMA algorithm and quantile normalized. Differentially expressed genes between the three conditions were selected using a threshold of 1.5 log2-fold, which gave a total of 378 selected genes (6.3% of the predicted open reading frames of strain PA14). Major shifts in gene expression patterns are observed in each growth conditions, highlighting the presence of distinct bacterial subpopulations within a swarming colony (tendril tips vs. swarm center). Unexpectedly, microarrays expression data reveal that a minority of genes are up-regulated in tendril tip populations. Among them, we found energy metabolism, ribosomal protein and transport of small molecules related genes. On the other hand, many well-known virulence factors genes were globally repressed in tendril tip cells. Swarm center cells are distinct and appear to be under oxidative and copper stress responses.ConclusionsResults reported in this study show that, as opposed to swarm center cells, tendril tip populations of a swarming colony displays general down-regulation of genes associated with virulence and up-regulation of genes involved in energy metabolism. These results allow us to propose a model where tendril tip cells function as «scouts» whose main purpose is to rapidly spread on uncolonized surfaces while swarm center population are in a state allowing a permanent settlement of the colonized area (biofilm-like).

Dataset Information

Repression of phase-variable cup gene expression by H-NS-like proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Publications

Repression of phase-variable cup gene expression by H-NS-like proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

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