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Journal of Bacteriology, October 2008, p. 6483-6492, Vol. 190, No. 19
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00766-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Dual Promoters Control Expression of the Bacillus anthracis Virulence Factor AtxA ^{, ,}

Cristina Bongiorni, Tatsuya Fukushima, Adam C. Wilson, Christina Chiang, M. Cecilia Mansilla,^¶ James A. Hoch, and Marta Perego^*

Division of Cellular Biology, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037

Received 29 May 2008/ Accepted 18 July 2008

The AtxA virulence regulator of Bacillus anthracis is required for toxin and capsule gene expression. AtxA is a phosphotransferase system regulatory domain-containing protein whose activity is regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of conserved histidine residues. Here we report that transcription of the atxA gene occurs from two independent promoters, P1 (previously described by Dai et al. [Z. Dai, J. C. Sirard, M. Mock, and T. M. Koehler, Mol. Microbiol. 16:1171-1181, 1995]) and P2, whose transcription start sites are separated by 650 bp. Both promoters have –10 and –35 consensus sequences compatible with recognition by ^A-containing RNA polymerase, and neither promoter depends on the sporulation sigma factor SigH. The dual promoter activity and the extended untranslated mRNA suggest that as-yet-unknown regulatory mechanisms may act on this region to influence the level of AtxA in the cell.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Cellular Biology, Mail Code MEM-116, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037. Phone: (858) 784-7912. Fax: (858) 784-7966. E-mail: mperego{at}scripps.edu

Published ahead of print on 1 August 2008.

Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jb.asm.org/.

Manuscript 19413 from The Scripps Research Institute.

Present address: Genencor International, Inc.—A Danisco Division, 925 Page Mill Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94304.

^¶ Present address: Instituto de Biologia Molecular y Cellular de Rosario, Suipacha 531, 2000 Rosario, Argentina.

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Journal of Bacteriology, October 2008, p. 6483-6492, Vol. 190, No. 19
0021-9193/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00766-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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