1887

Abstract

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is an important cell envelope component of Gram-positive bacteria. has four homologous genes for LTA synthesis: (), , and . The products LtaS (YflE), YfnI and YqgS are bona fide LTA synthetases, whereas YvgJ functions only as an LTA primase. To clarify whether defects in LTA on the cell envelope trigger extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors, mRNA levels of the autoregulated ECF sigma factors in cells with singly and multiply deleted alleles of the homologues were examined by real-time RT-PCR. This revealed that and were induced in cells with a null allele of Δ and Δ, respectively, and that no ECF sigma factor was induced in cells with a single null allele of Δ or Δ. In cells with double null alleles (Δ and Δ), and were induced in addition to and . Cells with triple null alleles (Δ Δ and Δ) showed a pattern of induction similar to that of the double null. In cells with quadruple null alleles, and were newly induced. Cells with Δ had approximatley 1/4 the diglucosyldiacylglycerol and over 10 times the CDP-diacylglycerol of wild-type cells. Compensatory elevation of the mRNA level of other homologues was observed (in Δ cells the level of was elevated; in Δ cells that of and was elevated; both were even higher in Δ Δ cells). In Δ cells, the mRNA level of was corroborated to be regulated by σ, which is activated in the null mutant cells. In Δ cells, the mRNA levels of and reverted to less than those of wild-type when a defective allele was introduced. Since was activated in cells with Δ, this suggests that the induction of and is dependent on σ. The LTAs produced by the four homologues seem to play distinct physiological roles to maintain the full function of LTA on the cell envelope.

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2013-01-01
2024-12-06
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