J. Bacteriol., 05 1996, 2507-2513, Vol 178, No. 9
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology

Transcriptional activation of promoters of the superoxide and multiple antibiotic resistance regulons by Rob, a binding protein of the Escherichia coli origin of chromosomal replication

KW Jair, X Yu, K Skarstad, B Thony, N Fujita, A Ishihama and RE Wolf Jr
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 21228, USA.

The Rob protein, isolated on the basis of its ability to bind to the right arm of the Escherichia coli origin of chromosomal replication, is about 50% identical in amino acid sequence to SoxS and MarA, the direct regulators of the superoxide (soxRS) and multiple antibiotic resistance (mar) regulons, respectively. Having previously demonstrated that SoxS (as a MalE-SoxS fusion protein) and MarA are essentially identical in their abilities to activate in vitro transcription of genes of the sox- mar regulons, we investigated the properties of Rob as a transcriptional activator. We found that Rob (i) activates the transcription of zwf,fpr,fumC, micF, nfo, and sodA, (ii) requires a 21- bp soxbox-marbox-robbox sequence to activate zwf transcription, (iii) protects the soxbox/marbox/robbox from attack by DNase 1, (iv) is ambidextrous, i.e., requires the C-terminal domain of the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase for activation of zwf but not fumC or micF, (v) bends zwf and fumC DNA, and (vi) binds zwf and fumC DNA as a monomer. Since these transcription activation properties of Rob are virtually identical to those of MalE-SoxS and MarA, it appears as if the E. coli genome encodes three genes with the same functional capacity. However, in contrast to SoxS and MarA, whose syntheses are induced by specific environmental stimuli and elicit a clear defense response, Rob is expressed constitutively and its normal function is unknown.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Dominguez-Cuevas, P., Marin, P., Busby, S., Ramos, J. L., Marques, S. (2008). Roles of Effectors in XylS-Dependent Transcription Activation: Intramolecular Domain Derepression and DNA Binding. J. Bacteriol. 190: 3118-3128 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nicoloff, H., Perreten, V., Levy, S. B. (2007). Increased Genome Instability in Escherichia coli lon Mutants: Relation to Emergence of Multiple-Antibiotic-Resistant (Mar) Mutants Caused by Insertion Sequence Elements and Large Tandem Genomic Amplifications. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51: 1293-1303 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nicoloff, H., Perreten, V., McMurry, L. M., Levy, S. B. (2006). Role for Tandem Duplication and Lon Protease in AcrAB-TolC- Dependent Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (Mar) in an Escherichia coli Mutant without Mutations in marRAB or acrRAB.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 4413-4423 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Schneiders, T., Levy, S. B. (2006). MarA-mediated Transcriptional Repression of the rob Promoter. J. Biol. Chem. 281: 10049-10055 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Chen, J.-W., Sun, C.-M., Sheng, W.-L., Wang, Y.-C., Syu, W.-J. (2006). Expression Analysis of Up-Regulated Genes Responding to Plumbagin in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 188: 456-463 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kim, M. S., Bae, S.-H., Yun, S. H., Lee, H. J., Ji, S. C., Lee, J. H., Srivastava, P., Lee, S.-H., Chae, H., Lee, Y., Choi, B.-S., Chattoraj, D. K., Lim, H. M. (2005). Cnu, a Novel oriC-Binding Protein of Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 187: 6998-7008 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• van der Straaten, T., Janssen, R., Mevius, D. J., van Dissel, J. T. (2004). Salmonella Gene rma (ramA) and Multiple-Drug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 48: 2292-2294 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Schneiders, T., Barbosa, T. M., McMurry, L. M., Levy, S. B. (2004). The Escherichia coli Transcriptional Regulator MarA Directly Represses Transcription of purA and hdeA. J. Biol. Chem. 279: 9037-9042 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Grkovic, S., Brown, M. H., Skurray, R. A. (2002). Regulation of Bacterial Drug Export Systems. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 66: 671-701 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Godsey, M. H., Zheleznova Heldwein, E. E., Brennan, R. G. (2002). Structural Biology of Bacterial Multidrug Resistance Gene Regulators. J. Biol. Chem. 277: 40169-40172 [Full Text]  
• Egan, S. M. (2002). Growing Repertoire of AraC/XylS Activators. J. Bacteriol. 184: 5529-5532 [Full Text]  
• Hulbert, R. R., Taylor, R. K. (2002). Mechanism of ToxT-Dependent Transcriptional Activation at the Vibrio cholerae tcpA Promoter. J. Bacteriol. 184: 5533-5544 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Michan, C., Manchado, M., Pueyo, C. (2002). SoxRS Down-Regulation of rob Transcription. J. Bacteriol. 184: 4733-4738 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Rosner, J. L., Dangi, B., Gronenborn, A. M., Martin, R. G. (2002). Posttranscriptional Activation of the Transcriptional Activator Rob by Dipyridyl in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 184: 1407-1416 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Paterson, E. S., Boucher, S. E., Lambert, I. B. (2002). Regulation of the nfsA Gene in Escherichia coli by SoxS. J. Bacteriol. 184: 51-58 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lohrke, S. M., Yang, H., Jin, S. (2001). Reconstitution of Acetosyringone-Mediated Agrobacterium tumefaciens Virulence Gene Expression in the Heterologous Host Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 183: 3704-3711 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Webber, M. A., Piddock, L. J. V. (2001). Absence of Mutations in marRAB or soxRS in acrB-Overexpressing Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Clinical and Veterinary Isolates of Escherichia coli. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45: 1550-1552 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Egan, S. M., Pease, A. J., Lang, J., Li, X., Rao, V., Gillette, W. K., Ruiz, R., Ramos, J. L., Wolf, R. E. Jr. (2000). Transcription Activation by a Variety of AraC/XylS Family Activators Does Not Depend on the Class II-Specific Activation Determinant in the N-Terminal Domain of the RNA Polymerase Alpha Subunit. J. Bacteriol. 182: 7075-7077 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Putman, M., van Veen, H. W., Konings, W. N. (2000). Molecular Properties of Bacterial Multidrug Transporters. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 64: 672-693 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Piddock, L. J. V., White, D. G., Gensberg, K., Pumbwe, L., Griggs, D. J. (2000). Evidence for an Efflux Pump Mediating Multiple Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 44: 3118-3121 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bhende, P. M., Egan, S. M. (2000). Genetic Evidence that Transcription Activation by RhaS Involves Specific Amino Acid Contacts with Sigma 70. J. Bacteriol. 182: 4959-4969 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bennik, M. H. J., Pomposiello, P. J., Thorne, D. F., Demple, B. (2000). Defining a rob Regulon in Escherichia coli by Using Transposon Mutagenesis. J. Bacteriol. 182: 3794-3801 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Barbosa, T. M., Levy, S. B. (2000). Differential Expression of over 60 Chromosomal Genes in Escherichia coli by Constitutive Expression of MarA. J. Bacteriol. 182: 3467-3474 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Azam, T. A., Ishihama, A. (1999). Twelve Species of the Nucleoid-associated Protein from Escherichia coli. SEQUENCE RECOGNITION SPECIFICITY AND DNA BINDING AFFINITY. J. Biol. Chem. 274: 33105-33113 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ali Azam, T., Iwata, A., Nishimura, A., Ueda, S., Ishihama, A. (1999). Growth Phase-Dependent Variation in Protein Composition of the Escherichia coli Nucleoid. J. Bacteriol. 181: 6361-6370 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lohrke, S. M., Nechaev, S., Yang, H., Severinov, K., Jin, S. J. (1999). Transcriptional Activation of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Virulence Gene Promoters in Escherichia coli Requires the A. tumefaciens rpoA Gene, Encoding the Alpha Subunit of RNA Polymerase. J. Bacteriol. 181: 4533-4539 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Macinga, D. R., Paradise, M. R., Parojcic, M. M., Rather, P. N. (1999). Activation of the 2'-N-Acetyltransferase Gene [aac(2')-Ia] in Providencia stuartii by an Interaction of AarP with the Promoter Region. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43: 1769-1772 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Murakami, K., Kimura, M., Owens, J. T., Meares, C. F., Ishihama, A. (1997). The two alpha  subunits of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase are asymmetrically arranged and contact different halves of the DNA upstream element. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 1709-1714 [Abstract] [Full Text]