Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
J Bacteriol, April 1998, p. 1632-1641, Vol. 180, No. 7
Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto
de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São
Paulo, São Paulo 05599-970, Brazil
Received 28 October 1997/Accepted 2 February 1998
The groESL operon is under complex regulation in
Caulobacter crescentus. In addition to strong induction
after exposure to heat shock, under physiological growth conditions,
its expression is subject to cell cycle control. Transcription and
translation of the groE genes occur primarily in
predivisional cells, with very low levels of expression in stalked
cells. The regulatory region of groESL contains both a
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
The CIRCE Element and Its Putative Repressor Control Cell Cycle
Expression of the Caulobacter crescentus groESL
Operon
32-like promoter and a CIRCE element. Overexpression of
C. crescentus
32 gives rise to higher levels
of GroEL and increased levels of the groESL transcript
coming from the
32-like promoter. Site-directed
mutagenesis in CIRCE has indicated a negative role for this
cis-acting element in the expression of groESL
only at normal growth temperatures, with a minor effect on heat shock
induction. Furthermore, groESL-lacZ transcription fusions
carrying mutations in CIRCE are no longer cell cycle regulated. Analysis of an hrcA null strain, carrying a disruption in
the gene encoding the putative repressor that binds to the CIRCE
element, shows constitutive synthesis of GroEL throughout the
Caulobacter cell cycle. These results indicate a negative
role for the hrcA gene product and the CIRCE element in the
temporal control of the groESL operon.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento de
Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de
São Paulo, CP.26.077, São Paulo, SP 05599-970, Brasil.
Phone: 55-11-815-3286. Fax: 55-11-818-7986. E-mail:
sulgomes{at}quim.iq.usp.br.
This article has been cited by other articles:
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology. For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»