Previous Article | Next Article 
Journal of Bacteriology, May 2003, p. 3190-3201, Vol. 185, No. 10
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.10.3190-3201.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Genes of the GadX-GadW Regulon in Escherichia coli
Don L. Tucker,1,
Nancy Tucker,1,
Zhuo Ma,2 John W. Foster,2 Regina L. Miranda,3 Paul S. Cohen,3 and Tyrrell Conway1*
Advanced Center for Genome Technology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019,1
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile, Alabama 36688,2
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 028813
Received 13 December 2002/
Accepted 4 March 2003
Acid in the stomach is thought to be a barrier to bacterial colonization of the intestine. Escherichia coli, however, has three systems for acid resistance, which overcome this barrier. The most effective of these systems is dependent on transport and decarboxylation of glutamate. GadX regulates two genes that encode isoforms of glutamate decarboxylase critical to this system, but additional genes associated with the glutamate-dependent acid resistance system remained to be identified. The gadX gene and a second downstream araC-like transcription factor gene, gadW, were mutated separately and in combination, and the gene expression profiles of the mutants were compared to those of the wild-type strain grown in neutral and acidified media under conditions favoring induction of glutamate-dependent acid resistance. Cluster and principal-component analyses identified 15 GadX-regulated, acid-inducible genes. Reverse transcriptase mapping demonstrated that these genes are organized in 10 operons. Analysis of the strain lacking GadX but possessing GadW confirmed that GadX is a transcriptional activator under acidic growth conditions. Analysis of the strain lacking GadW but possessing GadX indicated that GadW exerts negative control over three GadX target genes. The strain lacking both GadX and GadW was defective in acid induction of most but not all GadX target genes, consistent with the roles of GadW as an inhibitor of GadX-dependent activation of some genes and an activator of other genes. Resistance to acid was decreased under certain conditions in a gadX mutant and even more so by combined mutation of gadX and gadW. However, there was no defect in colonization of the streptomycin-treated mouse model by the gadX mutant in competition with the wild type, and the gadX gadW mutant was a better colonizer than the wild type. Thus, E. coli colonization of the mouse does not appear to require glutamate-dependent acid resistance.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Botany and Microbiology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019-0245. Phone: (405) 325-1683. Fax: (405) 325-7619. E-mail:
tconway{at}ou.edu.
Present address: Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5001.
Present address: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-4004.
Journal of Bacteriology, May 2003, p. 3190-3201, Vol. 185, No. 10
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.10.3190-3201.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Kailasan Vanaja, S., Bergholz, T. M., Whittam, T. S.
(2009). Characterization of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai GadE Regulon. J. Bacteriol.
191: 1868-1877
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Ruiz, C., McMurry, L. M., Levy, S. B.
(2008). Role of the Multidrug Resistance Regulator MarA in Global Regulation of the hdeAB Acid Resistance Operon in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol.
190: 1290-1297
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Inoue, K., Basu, S., Inouye, M.
(2007). Dissection of 16S rRNA Methyltransferase (KsgA) Function in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol.
189: 8510-8518
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Sayed, A. K., Odom, C., Foster, J. W.
(2007). The Escherichia coli AraC-family regulators GadX and GadW activate gadE, the central activator of glutamate-dependent acid resistance. Microbiology
153: 2584-2592
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Mates, A. K., Sayed, A. K., Foster, J. W.
(2007). Products of the Escherichia coli Acid Fitness Island Attenuate Metabolite Stress at Extremely Low pH and Mediate a Cell Density-Dependent Acid Resistance. J. Bacteriol.
189: 2759-2768
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Castanie-Cornet, M.-P., Treffandier, H., Francez-Charlot, A., Gutierrez, C., Cam, K.
(2007). The glutamate-dependent acid resistance system in Escherichia coli: essential and dual role of the His-Asp phosphorelay RcsCDB/AF. Microbiology
153: 238-246
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Tramonti, A., De Canio, M., Delany, I., Scarlato, V., De Biase, D.
(2006). Mechanisms of Transcription Activation Exerted by GadX and GadW at the gadA and gadBC Gene Promoters of the Glutamate-Based Acid Resistance System in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol.
188: 8118-8127
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Kobayashi, A., Hirakawa, H., Hirata, T., Nishino, K., Yamaguchi, A.
(2006). Growth Phase-Dependent Expression of Drug Exporters in Escherichia coli and Its Contribution to Drug Tolerance.. J. Bacteriol.
188: 5693-5703
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Nadler, C., Shifrin, Y., Nov, S., Kobi, S., Rosenshine, I.
(2006). Characterization of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Mutants That Fail To Disrupt Host Cell Spreading and Attachment to Substratum. Infect. Immun.
74: 839-849
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Bhagwat, A. A., Chan, L., Han, R., Tan, J., Kothary, M., Jean-Gilles, J., Tall, B. D.
(2005). Characterization of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Strains Based on Acid Resistance Phenotypes. Infect. Immun.
73: 4993-5003
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Giangrossi, M., Zattoni, S., Tramonti, A., De Biase, D., Falconi, M.
(2005). Antagonistic Role of H-NS and GadX in the Regulation of the Glutamate Decarboxylase-dependent Acid Resistance System in Escherichia coli. J. Biol. Chem.
280: 21498-21505
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Weber, H., Polen, T., Heuveling, J., Wendisch, V. F., Hengge, R.
(2005). Genome-Wide Analysis of the General Stress Response Network in Escherichia coli: {sigma}S-Dependent Genes, Promoters, and Sigma Factor Selectivity. J. Bacteriol.
187: 1591-1603
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Zwir, I., Shin, D., Kato, A., Nishino, K., Latifi, T., Solomon, F., Hare, J. M., Huang, H., Groisman, E. A.
(2005). Dissecting the PhoP regulatory network of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
102: 2862-2867
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Gyaneshwar, P., Paliy, O., McAuliffe, J., Popham, D. L., Jordan, M. I., Kustu, S.
(2005). Sulfur and Nitrogen Limitation in Escherichia coli K-12: Specific Homeostatic Responses. J. Bacteriol.
187: 1074-1090
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Maurer, L. M., Yohannes, E., Bondurant, S. S., Radmacher, M., Slonczewski, J. L.
(2005). pH Regulates Genes for Flagellar Motility, Catabolism, and Oxidative Stress in Escherichia coli K-12. J. Bacteriol.
187: 304-319
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Bates Utz, C., Nguyen, A. B., Smalley, D. J., Anderson, A. B., Conway, T.
(2004). GntP Is the Escherichia coli Fructuronic Acid Transporter and Belongs to the UxuR Regulon. J. Bacteriol.
186: 7690-7696
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Ma, Z., Masuda, N., Foster, J. W.
(2004). Characterization of EvgAS-YdeO-GadE Branched Regulatory Circuit Governing Glutamate-Dependent Acid Resistance in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol.
186: 7378-7389
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Lease, R. A., Smith, D., McDonough, K., Belfort, M.
(2004). The Small Noncoding DsrA RNA Is an Acid Resistance Regulator in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol.
186: 6179-6185
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Schneiders, T., Barbosa, T. M., McMurry, L. M., Levy, S. B.
(2004). The Escherichia coli Transcriptional Regulator MarA Directly Represses Transcription of purA and hdeA. J. Biol. Chem.
279: 9037-9042
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Yohannes, E., Barnhart, D. M., Slonczewski, J. L.
(2004). pH-Dependent Catabolic Protein Expression during Anaerobic Growth of Escherichia coli K-12. J. Bacteriol.
186: 192-199
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Hommais, F., Krin, E., Coppee, J.-Y., Lacroix, C., Yeramian, E., Danchin, A., Bertin, P.
(2004). GadE (YhiE): a novel activator involved in the response to acid environment in Escherichia coli. Microbiology
150: 61-72
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Ma, Z., Richard, H., Foster, J. W.
(2003). pH-Dependent Modulation of Cyclic AMP Levels and GadW-Dependent Repression of RpoS Affect Synthesis of the GadX Regulator and Escherichia coli Acid Resistance. J. Bacteriol.
185: 6852-6859
[Abstract]
[Full Text]