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 Bonifield, H. R.
Right arrow Articles by Hughes, K. T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bonifield, H. R.
Right arrow Articles by Hughes, K. T.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, June 2003, p. 3567-3574, Vol. 185, No. 12
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.12.3567-3574.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Flagellar Phase Variation in Salmonella enterica Is Mediated by a Posttranscriptional Control Mechanism

Heather R. Bonifield and Kelly T. Hughes*

Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195

Received 31 July 2002/ Accepted 28 February 2003

Salmonella enterica has two antigenically distinct flagellin genes, fliC and fljB, that are alternatively expressed. The fljA gene is cotranscribed with fljB and encodes a protein that has been characterized as a transcriptional repressor of the unlinked fliC gene when FljB is expressed. In this study we report genetic evidence that FljA prevents the production of FliC protein through an interaction with the 5'-untranslated region of the fliC mRNA transcript. Studies with operon and gene fusions, Western analyses, and T2 RNase protection assays were performed for strains with the fljBA promoter locked in either the on or the off orientation. ß-Galactosidase assays of fliC transcriptional and translational fusions to the lac operon demonstrated that while FljA inhibits fliC transcription fivefold in the fljBAON orientation, it has a 200-fold effect on both fliC transcription and translation, indicating that the FljA inhibitor might act at both the transcriptional and translational level. T2 RNase protection assays also demonstrated a fivefold decrease in fliC transcript levels for cells locked in the fljBAON orientation compared to those in the fljBAOFF orientation, and an eightfold decrease in FliC protein levels was observed by Western analysis. This reduction in FliC protein levels is greater than the decrease observed for the transcript. These results are consistent with a new model whereby FljA inhibits FliC expression by an attenuation or translational control mechanism.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Phone: (206) 543-0129. Fax: (206) 543-8297. E-mail: hughes{at}u.washington.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, June 2003, p. 3567-3574, Vol. 185, No. 12
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.12.3567-3574.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Douillard, F. P., Ryan, K. A., Caly, D. L., Hinds, J., Witney, A. A., Husain, S. E., O'Toole, P. W. (2008). Posttranscriptional Regulation of Flagellin Synthesis in Helicobacter pylori by the RpoN Chaperone HP0958. J. Bacteriol. 190: 7975-7984 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Karavolos, M. H., Bulmer, D. M., Winzer, K., Wilson, M., Mastroeni, P., Williams, P., Khan, C. M. A. (2008). LuxS Affects Flagellar Phase Variation Independently of Quorum Sensing in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium. J. Bacteriol. 190: 769-771 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Badie, G., Heithoff, D. M., Sinsheimer, R. L., Mahan, M. J. (2007). Altered Levels of Salmonella DNA Adenine Methylase Are Associated with Defects in Gene Expression, Motility, Flagellar Synthesis, and Bile Resistance in the Pathogenic Strain 14028 but Not in the Laboratory Strain LT2. J. Bacteriol. 189: 1556-1564 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Aldridge, P. D., Karlinsey, J. E., Aldridge, C., Birchall, C., Thompson, D., Yagasaki, J., Hughes, K. T. (2006). The flagellar-specific transcription factor, {sigma}28, is the Type III secretion chaperone for the flagellar-specific anti-{sigma}28 factor FlgM.. Genes Dev. 20: 2315-2326 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Aldridge, P. D., Wu, C., Gnerer, J., Karlinsey, J. E., Hughes, K. T., Sachs, M. S. (2006). Regulatory protein that inhibits both synthesis and use of the target protein controls flagellar phase variation in Salmonella enterica. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 11340-11345 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Aldridge, P., Gnerer, J., Karlinsey, J. E., Hughes, K. T. (2006). Transcriptional and Translational Control of the Salmonella fliC Gene.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 4487-4496 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rosu, V., Chevance, F. F. V., Karlinsey, J. E., Hirano, T., Hughes, K. T. (2006). Translation Inhibition of the Salmonella fliC Gene by the fliC 5' Untranslated Region, fliC Coding Sequences, and FlgM.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 4497-4507 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lee, H. J., Hughes, K. T. (2006). Posttranscriptional Control of the Salmonella enterica Flagellar Hook Protein FlgE. J. Bacteriol. 188: 3308-3316 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Frye, J., Karlinsey, J. E., Felise, H. R., Marzolf, B., Dowidar, N., McClelland, M., Hughes, K. T. (2006). Identification of New Flagellar Genes of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium. J. Bacteriol. 188: 2233-2243 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kutsukake, K., Nakashima, H., Tominaga, A., Abo, T. (2006). Two DNA Invertases Contribute to Flagellar Phase Variation in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Strain LT2. J. Bacteriol. 188: 950-957 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Yamamoto, S., Kutsukake, K. (2006). FljA-Mediated Posttranscriptional Control of Phase 1 Flagellin Expression in Flagellar Phase Variation of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium. J. Bacteriol. 188: 958-967 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kussell, E., Leibler, S. (2005). Phenotypic Diversity, Population Growth, and Information in Fluctuating Environments. Science 309: 2075-2078 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Correa, N. E., Klose, K. E. (2005). Characterization of Enhancer Binding by the Vibrio cholerae Flagellar Regulatory Protein FlrC. J. Bacteriol. 187: 3158-3170 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • van der Woude, M. W., Baumler, A. J. (2004). Phase and Antigenic Variation in Bacteria. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 17: 581-611 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Roe, A. J., Yull, H., Naylor, S. W., Woodward, M. J., Smith, D. G. E., Gally, D. L. (2003). Heterogeneous Surface Expression of EspA Translocon Filaments by Escherichia coli O157:H7 Is Controlled at the Posttranscriptional Level. Infect. Immun. 71: 5900-5909 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»