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The Vibrio cholerae FlgM Homologue Is an Anti-²⁸ Factor That Is Secreted through the Sheathed Polar Flagellum

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas

Received 20 February 2004/ Accepted 8 April 2004

Vibrio cholerae has a single polar sheathed flagellum that propels the cells of this bacterium. Flagellar synthesis, motility, and chemotaxis have all been linked to virulence in this human pathogen. V. cholerae expresses flagellar genes in a hierarchy consisting of ⁵⁴- and ²⁸-dependent transcription. In other bacteria, ²⁸ transcriptional activity is controlled by an anti-²⁸ factor, FlgM. We demonstrate that the V. cholerae FlgM homologue (i) physically interacts with ²⁸, (ii) has a repressive effect on some V. cholerae ²⁸-dependent flagellar promoters, and (iii) is secreted through the polar sheathed flagellum, consistent with anti-²⁸ activity. Interestingly, FlgM does not have a uniform repressive effect on all ²⁸-dependent promoters, as determined by measurement of ²⁸-dependent transcription in cells either lacking FlgM (flgM) or incapable of secretion (fliF). Further analysis of a fliF strain revealed that this flagellar assembly block causes a decrease in class III (FlrC- and ⁵⁴-dependent) and class IV (²⁸-dependent), but not class II (FlrA- and ⁵⁴-dependent), flagellar transcription. V. cholerae flgM and fliA (encodes ²⁸) mutants were only modestly affected in their ability to colonize the infant mouse intestine, a measure of virulence. Our results demonstrate that V. cholerae FlgM functions as an anti-²⁸ factor and that the sheathed flagellum is competent for secretion of nonstructural proteins.

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