1887

Abstract

The synthesis of the compatible solute ectoine, mediated by the gene products, is the main mechanism used by the halophilic bacterium to cope with osmotic stress. Evidence was found that this process is regulated at the transcriptional level. S1 protection analyses performed with RNA extracted from cells grown in minimal medium at low (0·75 M NaCl) or high (2·5 M NaCl) osmolarity suggested the existence of four promoters upstream of . Two of these ( and ) might be recognized by the main vegetative sigma factor , and one () might be dependent on the general stress sigma factor . The S1 protection assays suggest that and may be osmoregulated promoters. In addition, an internal promoter showing sequences homologous to promoters dependent on the heat-shock sigma factor was found upstream of . Transcription from in followed a pattern typical of -dependent promoters, and was reduced by 50 % in an background. These data strongly suggest the involvement of the general stress sigma factor in transcription in . Expression of and trancriptional fusions was very high at low salinity, suggesting that may be a partially constitutive system. Both transcriptional fusions were induced during continuous growth at high temperature and their expression was reduced in cells grown in the presence of osmoprotectants (ectoine or glycine betaine) or the DNA gyrase inhibitor nalidixic acid. Moreover, expression was negatively modulated in cells grown with an excess of iron (FeCl). Measurement of ectoine levels in the presence of glycine betaine at different NaCl concentrations suggests that an additional post-transcriptional control may occur as well.

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2004-09-01
2024-12-14
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