This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fujimoto, D. F.
Right arrow Articles by Bayles, K. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fujimoto, D. F.
Right arrow Articles by Bayles, K. W.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, September 2000, p. 4822-4828, Vol. 182, No. 17
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Genetic Elements Controlling Staphylococcus aureus lrgAB Expression: Potential Role of DNA Topology in SarA Regulation

David F. Fujimoto, Eric W. Brunskill,dagger and Kenneth W. Bayles*

Department of Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-3052

Received 29 March 2000/Accepted 16 June 2000

Penicillin-induced killing and murein hydrolase activity in Staphylococcus aureus are dependent on a variety of regulatory elements, including the LytSR two-component regulatory system and the virulence factor regulators Agr and Sar. The LytSR effects on these processes can be explained, in part, by the recent finding that a LytSR-regulated operon, designated lrgAB, affects murein hydrolase activity and penicillin tolerance. To examine the regulation of lrgAB expression in greater detail, we performed Northern blot and promoter fusion analyses. Both methods revealed that Agr and Sar, like LytSR, positively regulate lrgAB expression. A mutation in the agr locus reduced lrgAB expression approximately sixfold, while the sar mutation reduced lrgAB expression to undetectable levels. cis-acting regulatory elements involved in lrgAB expression were identified by fusing various fragments of the lrgAB promoter region to the xylE reporter gene and integrating these constructs into the chromosome. Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase assays identified DNA sequences, including an inverted repeat and intrinsic bend sites, that contribute to maximal lrgAB expression. Confirmation of the importance of the inverted repeat was achieved by demonstrating that multiple copies of the inverted repeat reduced lrgAB promoter activity, presumably by titrating out a positive regulatory factor. The results of this study demonstrate that lrgAB expression responds to a variety of positive regulatory factors and suggest that specific DNA topology requirements are important for optimal expression.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, College of Agriculture, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3052. Phone: (208) 885-7164. Fax: (208) 885-6518. E-mail: kbayles{at}uidaho.edu.

dagger Present address: The Childrens' Hospital Research Foundation, Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati, OH 45229.


Journal of Bacteriology, September 2000, p. 4822-4828, Vol. 182, No. 17
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Somerville, G. A., Proctor, R. A. (2009). At the Crossroads of Bacterial Metabolism and Virulence Factor Synthesis in Staphylococci. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73: 233-248 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Renzoni, A., Barras, C., Francois, P., Charbonnier, Y., Huggler, E., Garzoni, C., Kelley, W. L., Majcherczyk, P., Schrenzel, J., Lew, D. P., Vaudaux, P. (2006). Transcriptomic and Functional Analysis of an Autolysis-Deficient, Teicoplanin-Resistant Derivative of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 50: 3048-3061 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chang, W., Small, D. A., Toghrol, F., Bentley, W. E. (2006). Global Transcriptome Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Response to Hydrogen Peroxide. J. Bacteriol. 188: 1648-1659 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Voyich, J. M., Braughton, K. R., Sturdevant, D. E., Whitney, A. R., Said-Salim, B., Porcella, S. F., Long, R. D., Dorward, D. W., Gardner, D. J., Kreiswirth, B. N., Musser, J. M., DeLeo, F. R. (2005). Insights into Mechanisms Used by Staphylococcus aureus to Avoid Destruction by Human Neutrophils. J. Immunol. 175: 3907-3919 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Li, D., Renzoni, A., Estoppey, T., Bisognano, C., Francois, P., Kelley, W. L., Lew, D. P., Schrenzel, J., Vaudaux, P. (2005). Induction of Fibronectin Adhesins in Quinolone-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Subinhibitory Levels of Ciprofloxacin or by Sigma B Transcription Factor Activity Is Mediated by Two Separate Pathways. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 916-924 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rice, K. C., Nelson, J. B., Patton, T. G., Yang, S.-J., Bayles, K. W. (2005). Acetic Acid Induces Expression of the Staphylococcus aureus cidABC and lrgAB Murein Hydrolase Regulator Operons. J. Bacteriol. 187: 813-821 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chatfield, C. H., Koo, H., Quivey,, R. G. Jr (2005). The putative autolysin regulator LytR in Streptococcus mutans plays a role in cell division and is growth-phase regulated. Microbiology 151: 625-631 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bischoff, M., Dunman, P., Kormanec, J., Macapagal, D., Murphy, E., Mounts, W., Berger-Bachi, B., Projan, S. (2004). Microarray-Based Analysis of the Staphylococcus aureus {sigma}B Regulon. J. Bacteriol. 186: 4085-4099 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rice, K. C., Patton, T., Yang, S.-J., Dumoulin, A., Bischoff, M., Bayles, K. W. (2004). Transcription of the Staphylococcus aureus cid and lrg Murein Hydrolase Regulators Is Affected by Sigma Factor B. J. Bacteriol. 186: 3029-3037 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sterba, K. M., Mackintosh, S. G., Blevins, J. S., Hurlburt, B. K., Smeltzer, M. S. (2003). Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus SarA Binding Sites. J. Bacteriol. 185: 4410-4417 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Boyle-Vavra, S., Challapalli, M., Daum, R. S. (2003). Resistance to Autolysis in Vancomycin-Selected Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Precedes Vancomycin-Intermediate Resistance. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47: 2036-2039 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Yoshida, A., Kuramitsu, H. K. (2002). Multiple Streptococcus mutans Genes Are Involved in Biofilm Formation. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 6283-6291 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Koch, A. L. (2001). Autolysis Control Hypotheses for Tolerance to Wall Antibiotics. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45: 2671-2675 [Full Text]  
  • Bischoff, M., Entenza, J. M., Giachino, P. (2001). Influence of a Functional sigB Operon on the Global Regulators sar and agr in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 183: 5171-5179 [Abstract] [Full Text]