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The relA Homolog of Mycobacterium smegmatis Affects Cell Appearance, Viability, and Gene Expression

School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington,¹ Tuberculosis Research Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Rockville, Maryland,² Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York³

Received 17 November 2004/ Accepted 14 December 2004

The modification of metabolic pathways to allow for a dormant lifestyle appears to be an important feature for the survival of pathogenic bacteria within their host. One regulatory mechanism for persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections is the stringent response. In this study, we analyze the stringent response of a nonpathogenic, saprophytic mycobacterial species, Mycobacterium smegmatis. The use of M. smegmatis as a tool for studying the mycobacterial stringent response was demonstrated by measuring the expression of two M. tuberculosis genes, hspX and eis, in M. smegmatis in the presence and absence of rel_Msm. The stringent response plays a role in M. smegmatis cellular and colony formation that is suggestive of changes in the bacterial cell wall structure.

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