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Journal of Bacteriology, April 2009, p. 2795-2805, Vol. 191, No. 8
0021-9193/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01713-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Regulation of the mazEF Toxin-Antitoxin Module in Staphylococcus aureus and Its Impact on sigB Expression{triangledown}

Niles P. Donegan and Ambrose L. Cheung*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755

Received 8 December 2008/ Accepted 27 January 2009

In Staphylococcus aureus, the sigB operon codes for the alternative sigma factor {sigma}B and its regulators that enable the bacteria to rapidly respond to environmental stresses via redirection of transcriptional priorities. However, a full model of {sigma}B regulation in S. aureus has not yet emerged. Earlier data has suggested that mazEF, a toxin-antitoxin (TA) module immediately upstream of the sigB operon, was transcribed with the sigB operon. Here we demonstrate that the promoter PmazE upstream of mazEF is essential for full {sigma}B activity and that instead of utilizing autorepression typical of TA systems, sigB downregulates this promoter, providing a negative-feedback loop for sigB to repress its own transcription. We have also found that the transcriptional regulator SarA binds and activates PmazE. In addition, PmazE was shown to respond to environmental and antibiotic stresses in a way that provides an additional layer of control over sigB expression. The antibiotic response also appears to occur in two other TA systems in S. aureus, indicating a shared mechanism of regulation.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755. Phone: (603) 650-1310. Fax: (603) 650-1318. E-mail: ambrose.cheung{at}dartmouth.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 30 January 2009.

Journal of Bacteriology, April 2009, p. 2795-2805, Vol. 191, No. 8
0021-9193/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01713-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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  • Zhu, L., Inoue, K., Yoshizumi, S., Kobayashi, H., Zhang, Y., Ouyang, M., Kato, F., Sugai, M., Inouye, M. (2009). Staphylococcus aureus MazF Specifically Cleaves a Pentad Sequence, UACAU, Which Is Unusually Abundant in the mRNA for Pathogenic Adhesive Factor SraP. J. Bacteriol. 191: 3248-3255 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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