Dataset Information

Acquisition of the lac operon by Salmonella enterica.

ABSTRACT: Classical bacteriological characteristics of Salmonella enterica indicate that the members of this species are unable to utilize lactose as a carbon source. However, lactose-fermenting (Lac+) strains of several Salmonella serovars have been isolated from different foodborne outbreaks as well as different geographical regions worldwide. In the present study, we sequenced the genomes of 13 Lac?+?S. enterica isolates and characterized the lac region, comparing it to the lac region in other enteric bacterial species.Genetic analysis of the lac operons in the S. enterica genomes revealed that they all contain intact lacI, lacZ, and lacY genes. However, lacA was truncated in all of the S. enterica subsp. enterica isolates, encoding a 56 amino acid peptide rather than the full length 220 amino acid LacA protein. Molecular analyses of the 13 isolates revealed that the lac operon resided on a plasmid in some strains and in others was integrated into the bacterial chromosome. In most cases, an insertion sequence flanked at least one end of the operon. Interestingly, the S. enterica Montevideo and S. enterica Senftenberg isolates were found to harbor a plasmid with a high degree of sequence similarity to a plasmid from Klebsiella pneumoniae strain NK29 that also harbors the lac operon. In addition, two S. enterica Tennessee isolates carried two copies of the lac operon. Phylogenetic analysis based on lacIZY gene sequences determines distinct clusters, and reveals a greater correlation between lacIZY sequence and flanking organization than with either bacterial species or genomic location.Our results indicate that the lac region is highly mobile among Enterobacteriaceae and demonstrate that the Lac?+?S. enterica subsp. enterica serovars acquired the lac region through parallel events. The acquisition of the lac operon by several S. enterica serovars may be indicative of environmental adaptation by these bacteria.

SUBMITTER: Leonard SR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4549013 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Acquisition of the lac operon by Salmonella enterica.

Leonard Susan R SR Lacher David W DW Lampel Keith A KA

BMC microbiology 20150825

<h4>Background</h4>Classical bacteriological characteristics of Salmonella enterica indicate that the members of this species are unable to utilize lactose as a carbon source. However, lactose-fermenting (Lac+) strains of several Salmonella serovars have been isolated from different foodborne outbreaks as well as different geographical regions worldwide. In the present study, we sequenced the genomes of 13 Lac + S. enterica isolates and characterized the lac region, comparing it to the lac regio ...[more]

PMID: 26303940

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Project description:The ?54 regulon in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium includes a predicted RNA repair operon encoding homologs of the metazoan Ro60 protein (Rsr), Y RNAs (YrlBA), RNA ligase (RtcB), and RNA 3'-phosphate cyclase (RtcA). Transcription from ?54-dependent promoters requires that a cognate bacterial enhancer binding protein (bEBP) be activated by a specific environmental or cellular signal; the cognate bEBP for the ?54-dependent promoter of the rsr-yrlBA-rtcBA operon is RtcR. To identify conditions that generate the signal for RtcR activation in S Typhimurium, transcription of the RNA repair operon was assayed under multiple stress conditions that result in nucleic acid damage. RtcR-dependent transcription was highly induced by the nucleic acid cross-linking agents mitomycin C (MMC) and cisplatin, and this activation was dependent on RecA. Deletion of rtcR or rtcB resulted in decreased cell viability relative to that of the wild type following treatment with MMC. Oxidative stress from peroxide exposure also induced RtcR-dependent transcription of the operon. Nitrogen limitation resulted in RtcR-independent increased expression of the operon; the effect of nitrogen limitation required NtrC. The adjacent toxin-antitoxin module, dinJ-yafQ, was cotranscribed with the RNA repair operon but was not required for RtcR activation, although YafQ endoribonuclease activated RtcR-dependent transcription. Stress conditions shown to induce expression the RNA repair operon of Escherichia coli (rtcBA) did not stimulate expression of the S Typhimurium RNA repair operon. Similarly, MMC did not induce expression of the E. coli rtcBA operon, although when expressed in S Typhimurium, E. coli RtcR responds effectively to the unknown signal(s) generated there by MMC exposure.IMPORTANCE Homologs of the metazoan RNA repair enzymes RtcB and RtcA occur widely in eubacteria, suggesting a selective advantage. Although the enzymatic activities of the eubacterial RtcB and RtcA have been well characterized, the physiological roles remain largely unresolved. Here we report stress responses that activate expression of the ?54-dependent RNA repair operon (rsr-yrlBA-rtcBA) of S Typhimurium and demonstrate that expression of the operon impacts cell survival under MMC-induced stress. Characterization of the requirements for activation of this tightly regulated operon provides clues to the possible functions of operon components in vivo, enhancing our understanding of how this human pathogen copes with environmental stressors.

Dataset Information

Acquisition of the lac operon by Salmonella enterica.

Publications

Acquisition of the lac operon by Salmonella enterica.

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