Dataset Information

The iron-responsive Fur regulon in Yersinia pestis.

ABSTRACT: The ferric uptake regulator (Fur) is a predominant bacterial regulator controlling the iron assimilation functions in response to iron availability. Our previous microarray analysis on Yersinia pestis defined the iron-Fur modulon. In the present work, we reannotated the iron assimilation genes in Y. pestis, and the resulting genes in complementation with those disclosed by microarray constituted a total of 34 genome loci (putative operons) that represent the potential iron-responsive targets of Fur. The subsequent real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) in conjunction with the primer extension analysis showed that 32 of them were regulated by Fur in response to iron starvation. A previously predicted Fur box sequence was then used to search against the promoter regions of the 34 operons; the homologue of the above box could be predicted in each promoter tested. The subsequent electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) demonstrated that a purified His(6) tag-fused Fur protein was able to bind in vitro to each of these promoter regions. Therefore, Fur is a global regulator, both an activator and a repressor, and directly controls not only almost all of the iron assimilation functions but also a variety of genes involved in various non-iron functions for governing a complex regulatory cascade in Y. pestis. In addition, real-time RT-PCR, primer extension, EMSA, and DNase I footprinting assay were used to elucidate the Fur regulation of the ybt locus encoding a virulence-required iron uptake system. By combining the published data on the YbtA regulation of ybt, we constructed a concise Fur/YbtA regulatory network with a map of the Fur-promoter DNA interactions within the ybt locus. The data presented here give us an overview of the iron-responsive Fur regulon in Y. pestis.

SUBMITTER: Gao H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2293247 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The iron-responsive Fur regulon in Yersinia pestis.

Gao He H Zhou Dongsheng D Li Yingli Y Guo Zhaobiao Z Han Yanping Y Song Yajun Y Zhai Junhui J Du Zongmin Z Wang Xiaoyi X Lu Jingmei J Yang Ruifu R

Journal of bacteriology 20080215 8

The ferric uptake regulator (Fur) is a predominant bacterial regulator controlling the iron assimilation functions in response to iron availability. Our previous microarray analysis on Yersinia pestis defined the iron-Fur modulon. In the present work, we reannotated the iron assimilation genes in Y. pestis, and the resulting genes in complementation with those disclosed by microarray constituted a total of 34 genome loci (putative operons) that represent the potential iron-responsive targets of ...[more]

PMID: 18281395

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Project description:In the alpha subclass of proteobacteria iron homeostasis is controlled by diverse iron responsive regulators. Caulobacter crescentus, an important freshwater α-proteobacterium, uses the ferric uptake repressor (Fur) for such purpose. However, the impact of the iron availability on the C. crescentus transcriptome and an overall perspective of the regulatory networks involved remain unknown. In this work we report the identification of iron-responsive and Fur-regulated genes in C. crescentus using microarray-based global transcriptional analyses. We identify 46 genes that were strongly upregulated both by mutation of fur and by iron limitation condition. Among them, there are genes involved in iron uptake (four TonB dependent receptor gene clusters, feoAB), riboflavin biosynthesis and some genes encoding hypothetical proteins. Most of these genes are associated with Fur binding sites, implicating them as direct targets of Fur-mediated repression. These data were validated by β-galactosidase and EMSA assays for two operons encoding putative transporters. The role of Fur as a positive regulator is also evident, given that 50 genes were downregulated both by mutation of fur and under low-iron condition. As expected, this group includes many genes involved in energy metabolism, mostly iron-using enzymes. Surprisingly, are also included in this group many genes encoding TonB dependent receptors and the genes fixK, fixT and ftrB encoding an oxygen signaling network required for growth during hypoxia. Bioinformatics analyses performed in the promoters of these genes suggest that positive regulation by Fur is mainly indirect. In addition to the Fur modulon, iron limitation altered expression of more 103 genes, including upregulation of genes involved in Fe-S cluster assembly, oxidative stress and heat shock response, as well as downregulation of genes implicated in amino acid metabolism, chemotaxis and motility. Altogether, our results showed that adaptation of C. crescentus to iron limitation involves increasing the transcription of iron-acquisition systems and decreasing the production of iron-using proteins as a general strategy

Project description:In the alpha subclass of proteobacteria iron homeostasis is controlled by diverse iron responsive regulators. Caulobacter crescentus, an important freshwater Î±-proteobacterium, uses the ferric uptake repressor (Fur) for such purpose. However, the impact of the iron availability on the C. crescentus transcriptome and an overall perspective of the regulatory networks involved remain unknown. In this work we report the identification of iron-responsive and Fur-regulated genes in C. crescentus using microarray-based global transcriptional analyses. We identify 46 genes that were strongly upregulated both by mutation of fur and by iron limitation condition. Among them, there are genes involved in iron uptake (four TonB dependent receptor gene clusters, feoAB), riboflavin biosynthesis and some genes encoding hypothetical proteins. Most of these genes are associated with Fur binding sites, implicating them as direct targets of Fur-mediated repression. These data were validated by Î²-galactosidase and EMSA assays for two operons encoding putative transporters. The role of Fur as a positive regulator is also evident, given that 50 genes were downregulated both by mutation of fur and under low-iron condition. As expected, this group includes many genes involved in energy metabolism, mostly iron-using enzymes. Surprisingly, are also included in this group many genes encoding TonB dependent receptors and the genes fixK, fixT and ftrB encoding an oxygen signaling network required for growth during hypoxia. Bioinformatics analyses performed in the promoters of these genes suggest that positive regulation by Fur is mainly indirect. In addition to the Fur modulon, iron limitation altered expression of more 103 genes, including upregulation of genes involved in Fe-S cluster assembly, oxidative stress and heat shock response, as well as downregulation of genes implicated in amino acid metabolism, chemotaxis and motility. Altogether, our results showed that adaptation of C. crescentus to iron limitation involves increasing the transcription of iron-acquisition systems and decreasing the production of iron-using proteins as a general strategy Two experimental procedures, each of them performed in two replicates. A total of four independent biological samples were used

Project description:BackgroundThe Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of the bubonic plague. Efficient iron acquisition systems are critical to the ability of Y. pestis to infect, spread and grow in mammalian hosts, because iron is sequestered and is considered part of the innate host immune defence against invading pathogens. We used a proteomic approach to determine expression changes of iron uptake systems and intracellular consequences of iron deficiency in the Y. pestis strain KIM6+ at two physiologically relevant temperatures (26 degrees C and 37 degrees C).ResultsDifferential protein display was performed for three Y. pestis subcellular fractions. Five characterized Y. pestis iron/siderophore acquisition systems (Ybt, Yfe, Yfu, Yiu and Hmu) and a putative iron/chelate outer membrane receptor (Y0850) were increased in abundance in iron-starved cells. The iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster assembly system Suf, adapted to oxidative stress and iron starvation in E. coli, was also more abundant, suggesting functional activity of Suf in Y. pestis under iron-limiting conditions. Metabolic and reactive oxygen-deactivating enzymes dependent on Fe-S clusters or other iron cofactors were decreased in abundance in iron-depleted cells. This data was consistent with lower activities of aconitase and catalase in iron-starved vs. iron-rich cells. In contrast, pyruvate oxidase B which metabolizes pyruvate via electron transfer to ubiquinone-8 for direct utilization in the respiratory chain was strongly increased in abundance and activity in iron-depleted cells.ConclusionsMany protein abundance differences were indicative of the important regulatory role of the ferric uptake regulator Fur. Iron deficiency seems to result in a coordinated shift from iron-utilizing to iron-independent biochemical pathways in the cytoplasm of Y. pestis. With growth temperature as an additional variable in proteomic comparisons of the Y. pestis fractions (26 degrees C and 37 degrees C), there was little evidence for temperature-specific adaptation processes to iron starvation.

Project description:The expression of iron-regulated systems in gram-negative bacteria is generally controlled by the Fur protein, which represses the transcription of iron-regulated promoters by using Fe2+ as a cofactor. Mutational analysis of the Campylobacter jejuni fur gene was carried out by generation of a set of mutant copies of fur which had a kanamycin or chloramphenicol resistance gene introduced into the regions encoding the N and C termini of the Fur protein. The mutated genes were recombined into the C. jejuni NCTC 11168 chromosome, and putative mutants were confirmed by Southern hybridization. C. jejuni mutants were obtained only when the resistance genes were transcribed in the same orientation as the fur gene. The C. jejuni fur mutant grew slower than the parental strain. Comparison of protein profiles of fractionated C. jejuni cells grown in low- or high-iron medium indicated derepressed expression of three iron-regulated outer membrane proteins with molecular masses of 70, 75, and 80 kDa. Characterization by N-terminal amino acid sequencing showed the 75-kDa protein to be identical to CfrA, a Campylobacter coli siderophore receptor homologue, whereas the 70-kDa protein was identified as a new siderophore receptor homologue. Periplasmic fractions contained four derepressed proteins with molecular masses of 19, 29, 32, and 36 kDa. The 19-kDa protein has been previously identified, but its function is unknown. The cytoplasmic fraction contained two iron-repressed and two iron-induced proteins with molecular masses of 26, 55, 31, and 40 kDa, respectively. The two iron-repressed proteins have been previously identified as the oxidative stress defense proteins catalase (KatA) and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpC). AhpC and KatA were still iron regulated in the fur mutant, suggesting the presence of Fur-independent iron regulation. Further analysis of the C. jejuni iron and Fur regulons by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis demonstrated the total number of iron- and Fur-regulated proteins to be lower than for other bacterial pathogens.

Dataset Information

The iron-responsive Fur regulon in Yersinia pestis.

Publications

The iron-responsive Fur regulon in Yersinia pestis.

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