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 Boles, B. R.
Right arrow Articles by McCarter, L. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Boles, B. R.
Right arrow Articles by McCarter, L. L.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
*Gene*Protein
*Substance via MeSH

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, November 2002, p. 5946-5954, Vol. 184, No. 21
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.21.5946-5954.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus scrABC, a Novel Operon Affecting Swarming and Capsular Polysaccharide Regulation

Blaise R. Boles and Linda L. McCarter*

Department of Microbiology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242

Received 15 May 2002/ Accepted 30 July 2002

Swarming is an adaptation of many bacteria to growth on surfaces. A search for genes controlling swarmer cell differentiation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus identified a novel three-gene operon that potentially encodes a pyridoxal-phosphate-dependent enzyme, an extracellular solute-binding protein, and a membrane-bound GGDEF- and EAL-motif sensory protein. The functions of these motifs, which are named after conserved amino acid sequences, are unknown, although the domains are found singly and in combination in a variety of bacterial signaling proteins. Studies with translational fusions supported the predicted localization of the gene products. When the operon was overexpressed, swarmer cell gene transcription was induced in liquid culture. Mutants with defects in any of the three genes exhibited decreased swarming and lateral flagellar (laf) gene expression. Complementation studies confirmed an operon organization and suggested that all three genes participated in laf regulation. The lesions that decreased swarming increased capsular polysaccharide (CPS) production, and overexpression of the operon inhibited transcription of the CPS gene cpsA. Thus, the scrABC locus appears to inversely regulate two gene systems that are pertinent to colonization of surface swarming and CPS.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242. Phone: (319) 335-9721. Fax: (319) 335-7679. E-mail: linda-mccarter{at}uiowa.edu.


Journal of Bacteriology, November 2002, p. 5946-5954, Vol. 184, No. 21
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.21.5946-5954.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Ferreira, R. B. R., Antunes, L. C. M., Greenberg, E. P., McCarter, L. L. (2008). Vibrio parahaemolyticus ScrC Modulates Cyclic Dimeric GMP Regulation of Gene Expression Relevant to Growth on Surfaces. J. Bacteriol. 190: 851-860 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hoang, H. H., Gurich, N., Gonzalez, J. E. (2008). Regulation of Motility by the ExpR/Sin Quorum-Sensing System in Sinorhizobium meliloti. J. Bacteriol. 190: 861-871 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Yildiz, F. H. (2008). Cyclic Dimeric GMP Signaling and Regulation of Surface-Associated Developmental Programs. J. Bacteriol. 190: 781-783 [Full Text]  
  • Wolfe, A. J., Visick, K. L. (2008). Get the Message Out: Cyclic-Di-GMP Regulates Multiple Levels of Flagellum-Based Motility. J. Bacteriol. 190: 463-475 [Full Text]  
  • Kuchma, S. L., Brothers, K. M., Merritt, J. H., Liberati, N. T., Ausubel, F. M., O'Toole, G. A. (2007). BifA, a Cyclic-Di-GMP Phosphodiesterase, Inversely Regulates Biofilm Formation and Swarming Motility by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14. J. Bacteriol. 189: 8165-8178 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, Y.-K., McCarter, L. L. (2007). ScrG, a GGDEF-EAL Protein, Participates in Regulating Swarming and Sticking in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. J. Bacteriol. 189: 4094-4107 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Malone, J. G., Williams, R., Christen, M., Jenal, U., Spiers, A. J., Rainey, P. B. (2007). The structure-function relationship of WspR, a Pseudomonas fluorescens response regulator with a GGDEF output domain. Microbiology 153: 980-994 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Christen, M., Christen, B., Allan, M. G., Folcher, M., Jeno, P., Grzesiek, S., Jenal, U. (2007). DgrA is a member of a new family of cyclic diguanosine monophosphate receptors and controls flagellar motor function in Caulobacter crescentus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 4112-4117 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • O'Shea, T. M., Klein, A. H., Geszvain, K., Wolfe, A. J., Visick, K. L. (2006). Diguanylate Cyclases Control Magnesium-Dependent Motility of Vibrio fischeri. J. Bacteriol. 188: 8196-8205 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Thompson, F. L., Klose, K. E., the AVIB Group, (2006). Vibrio2005: the First International Conference on the Biology of Vibrios. J. Bacteriol. 188: 4592-4596 [Full Text]  
  • Kulasakara, H., Lee, V., Brencic, A., Liberati, N., Urbach, J., Miyata, S., Lee, D. G., Neely, A. N., Hyodo, M., Hayakawa, Y., Ausubel, F. M., Lory, S. (2006). Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases reveals a role for bis-(3'-5')-cyclic-GMP in virulence. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 2839-2844 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hickman, J. W., Tifrea, D. F., Harwood, C. S. (2005). A chemosensory system that regulates biofilm formation through modulation of cyclic diguanylate levels. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102: 14422-14427 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schmidt, A. J., Ryjenkov, D. A., Gomelsky, M. (2005). The Ubiquitous Protein Domain EAL Is a Cyclic Diguanylate-Specific Phosphodiesterase: Enzymatically Active and Inactive EAL Domains. J. Bacteriol. 187: 4774-4781 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ryjenkov, D. A., Tarutina, M., Moskvin, O. V., Gomelsky, M. (2005). Cyclic Diguanylate Is a Ubiquitous Signaling Molecule in Bacteria: Insights into Biochemistry of the GGDEF Protein Domain. J. Bacteriol. 187: 1792-1798 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Doyle, T. B., Hawkins, A. C., McCarter, L. L. (2004). The Complex Flagellar Torque Generator of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J. Bacteriol. 186: 6341-6350 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • D'Argenio, D. A., Miller, S. I. (2004). Cyclic di-GMP as a bacterial second messenger. Microbiology 150: 2497-2502 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Paul, R., Weiser, S., Amiot, N. C., Chan, C., Schirmer, T., Giese, B., Jenal, U. (2004). Cell cycle-dependent dynamic localization of a bacterial response regulator with a novel di-guanylate cyclase output domain. Genes Dev. 18: 715-727 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Guvener, Z. T., McCarter, L. L. (2003). Multiple Regulators Control Capsular Polysaccharide Production in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. J. Bacteriol. 185: 5431-5441 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Stewart, B. J., McCarter, L. L. (2003). Lateral Flagellar Gene System of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. J. Bacteriol. 185: 4508-4518 [Abstract] [Full Text]