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 Wang, B.
Right arrow Articles by Kuramitsu, H. K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wang, B.
Right arrow Articles by Kuramitsu, H. K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, October 2003, p. 5791-5799, Vol. 185, No. 19
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.19.5791-5799.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Control of Enzyme IIscr and Sucrose-6-Phosphate Hydrolase Activities in Streptococcus mutans by Transcriptional Repressor ScrR Binding to the cis-Active Determinants of the scr Regulon

Bing Wang and Howard K. Kuramitsu*

Department of Oral Biology, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14214

Received 21 April 2003/ Accepted 17 July 2003

In Streptococcus mutans, enzyme IIscr and sucrose-6-phosphate hydrolase are two important enzymes in the transport and metabolism of dietary sucrose. The scr regulon of S. mutans is composed of three genes, scrA and scrB, which code for enzyme IIscr and sucrose-6-phosphate hydrolase, respectively, and scrR, which codes for a GalR-LacI-type transcription regulator. It was previously shown that expression of both scrA and scrB is similarly induced by sucrose. Mutation in the scrR gene resulted in increased expression of scrB relative to that in the wild-type strain. In this study, we employed DNA mobility shift and DNase I protection assays with a purified ScrR-histidine tag fusion protein to examine the DNA binding properties of ScrR to the promoter regions of the scrA and scrB genes. The results showed that ScrR bound specifically to the promoter regions of both scrA and scrB. Two regions with high affinity for ScrR in the promoter sequences of the scrA and scrB genes were identified by DNase I protection assays. One, OC, which includes a 20-bp imperfect inverted-repeat sequence, is located between the two promoters, and the other, OB, is located within the scrB promoter region containing a 37-bp imperfect direct-repeat sequence. Mutations of OB and OC resulted in constitutive transcription and expression of both the scrA and scrB genes. Our results indicated that S. mutans coordinates the activities of enzyme IIscr and sucrose-6-phosphate hydrolase by transcriptional repressor ScrR binding to the promoter regions of the scr regulon.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Oral Biology, State University of New York at Buffalo, 3435 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14214. Phone: (716) 829-2068. Fax: (716) 829-3942. E-mail: Kuramits{at}buffalo.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, October 2003, p. 5791-5799, Vol. 185, No. 19
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.19.5791-5799.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Nobbs, A. H., Lamont, R. J., Jenkinson, H. F. (2009). Streptococcus Adherence and Colonization. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73: 407-450 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wang, B., Kuramitsu, H. K. (2006). A Pleiotropic Regulator, Frp, Affects Exopolysaccharide Synthesis, Biofilm Formation, and Competence Development in Streptococcus mutans.. Infect. Immun. 74: 4581-4589 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wang, B., Kuramitsu, H. K. (2005). Inducible Antisense RNA Expression in the Characterization of Gene Functions in Streptococcus mutans. Infect. Immun. 73: 3568-3576 [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»