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Journal of Bacteriology, August 2005, p. 5097-5107, Vol. 187, No. 15
0021-9193/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.187.15.5097-5107.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Involvement of AlgQ in Transcriptional Regulation of Pyoverdine Genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

Dipartimento di Biologia, Università "Roma Tre," Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy,¹ Unità di Microbiologia Molecolare, Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive I.R.C.C.S. "Lazzaro Spallanzani," Via Portuense 292, 00149 Roma, Italy²

Received 15 February 2005/ Accepted 29 April 2005

In response to iron limitation, Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces the fluorescent siderophore pyoverdine. Transcription of pyoverdine biosynthetic (pvd) genes is driven by the iron starvation sigma factor PvdS, which is negatively regulated by the Fur-Fe(II) holorepressor. We studied the effect of AlgQ, the Escherichia coli Rsd orthologue, on pyoverdine production by P. aeruginosa PAO1. AlgQ is a global regulatory protein which activates alginate, ppGpp, and inorganic polyphosphate synthesis through a cascade involving nucleoside diphosphate kinase (Ndk). AlgQ is also capable of interacting with region 4 of RpoD. In a reconstituted E. coli system, PvdS-dependent transcription from the pvdA promoter was doubled by the multicopy algQ gene. The P. aeruginosa algQ mutant exhibited a moderate but reproducible reduction in pyoverdine production compared with wild-type PAO1, as a result of a decline in transcription of pvd genes. PvdS expression was not affected by the algQ mutation. Single-copy algQ fully restored pyoverdine production and expression of pvd genes in the algQ mutant, while ndk did not. An increased intracellular concentration of RpoD mimicked the algQ phenotype, whereas PvdS overexpression suppressed the algQ mutation. E. coli rsd could partially substitute for algQ in transcriptional modulation of pvd genes. We propose that AlgQ acts as an anti-sigma factor for RpoD, eliciting core RNA polymerase recruitment by PvdS and transcription initiation at pvd promoters. AlgQ provides a link between the pyoverdine and alginate regulatory networks. These systems have similarities in responsiveness and physiological function: both depend on alternative sigma factors, respond to nutrient starvation, and act as virulence determinants for P. aeruginosa.

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