The enterobacterial LeuO protein emerged as a pleiotropic transcriptional regulator important in pathogenicity and stress adaptation. Intriguingly, regulation of the H-NS repressed leuO gene involves a double-positive feedback loop. The leuO gene is activated by the RcsB-BglJ heterodimer, and vice versa LeuO activates expression of bglJ, encoded within the H-NS repressed yjjQ-bglJ operon. Further data suggest that the double-positive feedback loop built by LeuO and RcsB-BglJ is tightly controlled. The aim of the project is to describe the regulatory elements of the LeuO and RcsB-BglJ control circuit, which is likely to be important in the response to specific, virulence-related environments.
References:
- List of publications (K. Schnetz)
Contact details:
Prof. Dr. Karin Schnetz
Institute for Genetics
University of Cologne
Zülpicher Str. 47a
D-50674 Cologne
Tel.: +49-(0)221-4703815
Fax.: +49-(0)221-4705185
schnetz(at)uni-koeln.de
Homepage Link
Co-workers: Hannes Breddermann, Ph.D. student
References:
Schnetz
Mader, A., Bronk, B. v., Ewald, B., Kesel, S., Schnetz, K., Frey, E. and Opitz, M. (2015) Amount of colicin release in Escherichia coli is regulated by lysis gene expression of the colicin E2 operon. PLoS ONE, 10, e0119124.
Stratmann, T., Pul, Ü., Wurm, R., Wagner, R. and Schnetz, K. (2012) RcsB-BglJ activates the Escherichia coli leuO gene, encoding an H-NS antagonist and pleiotropic regulator of virulence determinants. Mol. Microbiol., 83, 1109-1123.
Venkatesh, G. R., Kembou Koungni, F. C., Paukner, A., Stratmann, T., Blissenbach, B. and Schnetz, K. (2010) BglJ-RcsB heterodimers relieve repression of the Escherichia coli bgl operon by H-NS. J. Bacteriol., 192, 6456-6464.
Stratmann, T., Madhusudan, S. and Schnetz, K. (2008) Regulation of the yjjQ-bglJ operon, encoding LuxR-type transcription factors, and the divergent yjjP gene by H-NS and LeuO. J. Bacteriol., 190, 926-935.