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Journal of Bacteriology, March 2008, p. 1946-1955, Vol. 190, No. 6
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01010-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of a Novel Gene, wosA, Regulating FlhDC Expression in Proteus mirabilis{triangledown}

Janet K. Hatt1 and Philip N. Rather1,2*

Laboratories of Microbial Pathogenesis, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia 30033,1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 303222

Received 26 June 2007/ Accepted 28 December 2007

In this study, we describe wosA, a Proteus mirabilis gene identified by its ability to increase swarming motility when overexpressed. At various times during the swarming cycle, the increased expression of wosA resulted in a 4- to 16-fold upregulation of the transcription of flhDC, encoding the master regulator of the flagellar cascade. In turn, the expression of flaA, encoding flagellin, was substantially increased in wosA-overexpressing strains. The overexpression of wosA also resulted in constitutive swarmer cell differentiation in liquid medium, a normally nonpermissive condition. However, in wosA-overexpressing strains, the onset of swarming was not altered. A null wosA allele resulted in a slight decrease in swarming motility. The expression of wosA was growth phase dependent during growth in liquid and on agar plates during swarmer cell differentiation. Increasing the viscosity of liquid medium by the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone induced swarmer cell differentiation and resulted in a fourfold increase in wosA transcription. A fliL mutation that results in constitutive swarmer cell elongation also increased wosA transcription. In this study, we discuss the possible role of the wosA gene product in signal transduction from solid surfaces to induce swarmer cell differentiation, possibly via alterations in the motor switch complex. This study also suggests that despite constitutive swarmer cell differentiation in wosA-overexpressing strains, there are additional regulatory and/or environmental conditions that may control the onset of swarming migration.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, 3001 Rollins Research Center, Atlanta, GA 30322. Phone: (404) 728-5079. Fax: (404) 728-7780. E-mail: prather{at}emory.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 11 January 2008.

Journal of Bacteriology, March 2008, p. 1946-1955, Vol. 190, No. 6
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01010-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Pearson, M. M., Sebaihia, M., Churcher, C., Quail, M. A., Seshasayee, A. S., Luscombe, N. M., Abdellah, Z., Arrosmith, C., Atkin, B., Chillingworth, T., Hauser, H., Jagels, K., Moule, S., Mungall, K., Norbertczak, H., Rabbinowitsch, E., Walker, D., Whithead, S., Thomson, N. R., Rather, P. N., Parkhill, J., Mobley, H. L. T. (2008). Complete Genome Sequence of Uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis, a Master of both Adherence and Motility. J. Bacteriol. 190: 4027-4037 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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