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Volume 162, Issue 3

Loss of σ affects heat-shock response and virulence gene expression in Free

Abstract

The pathogenesis of depends on several virulence factors, including the anthrax toxin. Loss of the alternative sigma factor σ results in a coordinate decrease in expression of all three toxin subunits. Our observations suggest that loss of σ alters the activity of the master virulence regulator AtxA, but transcription is unaffected by loss of σ. σ-containing RNA polymerase does not appear to directly transcribe either or the toxin gene . As in , loss of σ in results in increased sensitivity to heat shock and transcription of , encoding σ, is induced by elevated temperature. Encoded immediately downstream of and part of a bicistronic message with is an anti-sigma factor, RsgI, which controls σ activity. Loss of RsgI has no direct effect on virulence gene expression. appears to be expressed from both the σ and σ promoters, and transcription from the σ promoter is likely more significant to virulence regulation. We propose a model in which σ can be induced in response to heat shock, whilst, independently, σ is produced under non-heat-shock, toxin-inducing conditions to indirectly regulate virulence gene expression.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Revised:
  • Published Online:
© 2016 The Authors
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2016-03-01
2024-04-23
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Loss of σI affects heat-shock response and virulence gene expression in Bacillus anthracis
Microbiology 162, 564 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000236
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000236
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000236
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