1887

Abstract

As an inhabitant of the human oral cavity, faces frequent environmental changes. Two-component regulatory systems (TCSs) play a critical role in responding to these changes. Recently, an essential TCS, VicRKX, has been identified. The objective of this study was to identify the environmental signal and bacterial factors regulating the expression of the operon. The promoter of the operon was fused to a promoterless reporter gene and introduced into UA159. LacZ plate assay identified pH, vancomycin, ampicillin, penicillin G and polymyxin B, but not carbohydrates, as factors affecting expression. Using RNA dot-blotting, high levels of transcript were observed in cells at the mid- and late-exponential phase of growth and in cells grown in media buffered at pH 7.8. Given that expression was pH-dependent, the genes encoding a putative pH-sensing three-component regulatory system (LiaFSR) were deleted. The mutant exhibited upregulation of regardless of the growth condition. The role of VicK, VicX, and the competence-signal peptide (CSP) was also investigated; the results showed that expression was not autoregulated and was downregulated by the CSP in a ComX-independent manner. In conclusion, the expression of is influenced by culture pH, growth phase and antibiotic stress, and is regulated by LiaFRS.

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2009-09-01
2024-03-28
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