# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 545 | 0 | 1.0000 | Characterization of the organic hydroperoxide resistance system of Brucella abortus 2308. The organic hydroperoxide resistance protein Ohr has been identified in numerous bacteria where it functions in the detoxification of organic hydroperoxides, and expression of ohr is often regulated by a MarR-type regulator called OhrR. The genes annotated as BAB2_0350 and BAB2_0351 in the Brucella abortus 2308 genome sequence are predicted to encode OhrR and Ohr orthologs, respectively. Using isogenic ohr and ohrR mutants and lacZ promoter fusions, it was determined that Ohr contributes to resistance to organic hydroperoxide, but not hydrogen peroxide, in B. abortus 2308 and that OhrR represses the transcription of both ohr and ohrR in this strain. Moreover, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting revealed that OhrR binds directly to a specific region in the intergenic region between ohr and ohrR that shares extensive nucleotide sequence similarity with so-called "OhrR boxes" described in other bacteria. While Ohr plays a prominent role in protecting B. abortus 2308 from organic hydroperoxide stress in in vitro assays, this protein is not required for the wild-type virulence of this strain in cultured murine macrophages or experimentally infected mice. | 2012 | 22821968 |
| 546 | 1 | 0.9993 | Resistance to organic hydroperoxides requires ohr and ohrR genes in Sinorhizobium meliloti. BACKGROUND: Sinorhizobium meliloti is a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacterium that elicits nodules on roots of host plants Medicago sativa. During nodule formation bacteria have to withstand oxygen radicals produced by the plant. Resistance to H2O2 and superoxides has been extensively studied in S. meliloti. In contrast resistance to organic peroxides has not been investigated while S. meliloti genome encodes putative organic peroxidases. Organic peroxides are produced by plants and are highly toxic. The resistance to these oxygen radicals has been studied in various bacteria but never in plant nodulating bacteria. RESULTS: In this study we report the characterisation of organic hydroperoxide resistance gene ohr and its regulator ohrR in S. meliloti. The inactivation of ohr affects resistance to cumene and ter-butyl hydroperoxides but not to hydrogen peroxide or menadione in vitro. The expression of ohr and ohrR genes is specifically induced by organic peroxides. OhrR binds to the intergenic region between the divergent genes ohr and ohrR. Two binding sites were characterised. Binding to the operator is prevented by OhrR oxidation that promotes OhrR dimerisation. The inactivation of ohr did not affect symbiosis and nitrogen fixation, suggesting that redundant enzymatic activity exists in this strain. Both ohr and ohrR are expressed in nodules suggesting that they play a role during nitrogen fixation. CONCLUSIONS: This report demonstrates the significant role Ohr and OhrR proteins play in bacterial stress resistance against organic peroxides in S. meliloti. The ohr and ohrR genes are expressed in nodule-inhabiting bacteroids suggesting a role during nodulation. | 2011 | 21569462 |
| 547 | 2 | 0.9990 | Dual role of OhrR as a repressor and an activator in response to organic hydroperoxides in Streptomyces coelicolor. Organic hydroperoxide resistance in bacteria is achieved primarily through reducing oxidized membrane lipids. The soil-inhabiting aerobic bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor contains three paralogous genes for organic hydroperoxide resistance: ohrA, ohrB, and ohrC. The ohrA gene is transcribed divergently from ohrR, which encodes a putative regulator of MarR family. Both the ohrA and ohrR genes were induced highly by various organic hydroperoxides. The ohrA gene was induced through removal of repression by OhrR, whereas the ohrR gene was induced through activation by OhrR. Reduced OhrR bound to the ohrA-ohrR intergenic region, which contains a central (primary) and two adjacent (secondary) inverted-repeat motifs that overlap with promoter elements. Organic peroxide decreased the binding affinity of OhrR for the primary site, with a concomitant decrease in cooperative binding to the adjacent secondary sites. The single cysteine C28 in OhrR was involved in sensing oxidants, as determined by substitution mutagenesis. The C28S mutant of OhrR bound to the intergenic region without any change in binding affinity in response to organic peroxides. These results lead us to propose a model for the dual action of OhrR as a repressor and an activator in S. coelicolor. Under reduced conditions, OhrR binds cooperatively to the intergenic region, repressing transcription from both genes. Upon oxidation, the binding affinity of OhrR decreases, with a concomitant loss of cooperative binding, which allows RNA polymerase to bind to both the ohrA and ohrR promoters. The loosely bound oxidized OhrR can further activate transcription from the ohrR promoter. | 2007 | 17586628 |
| 544 | 3 | 0.9990 | Organic Hydroperoxide Induces Prodigiosin Biosynthesis in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 in an OhrR-Dependent Manner. The biosynthesis of prodigiosin in the model prodigiosin-producing strain, Serratia sp. ATCC 39006, is significantly influenced by environmental and cellular signals. However, a comprehensive regulatory mechanism for this process has not been well established. In the present study, we demonstrate that organic hydroperoxide activates prodigiosin biosynthesis in an OhrR-dependent manner. Specifically, the MarR-family transcriptional repressor OhrR (Ser39006_RS05455) binds to its operator located far upstream of the promoter region of the prodigiosin biosynthesis operon (319 to 286 nucleotides [nt] upstream of the transcription start site) and negatively regulates the expression of prodigiosin biosynthesis genes. Organic hydroperoxide disassociates the binding between OhrR and its operator, thereby promoting the prodigiosin production. Moreover, OhrR modulates the resistance of Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 to organic hydroperoxide by regulating the transcription of its own gene and the downstream cotranscribed ohr gene. These results demonstrate that OhrR is a pleiotropic repressor that modulates the prodigiosin production and the resistance of Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 to organic hydroperoxide stress. IMPORTANCE Bacteria naturally encounter various environmental and cellular stresses. Organic hydroperoxides generated from the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids are widely distributed and usually cause lethal oxidative stress by damaging cellular components. OhrR is known as a regulator that modulates the resistance of bacteria to organic hydroperoxide stress. In the current study, organic hydroperoxide disassociates OhrR from the promoter of prodigiosin biosynthesis gene cluster, thus promoting transcription of pigA to -O genes. In this model, organic hydroperoxide acts as an inducer of prodigiosin synthesis in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006. These results improve our understanding of the regulatory network of prodigiosin synthesis and serve as an example for identifying the cross talk between the stress responses and the regulation of secondary metabolism. | 2022 | 35044847 |
| 594 | 4 | 0.9989 | Challenging Xanthomonas campestris with low levels of arsenic mediates cross-protection against oxidant killing. Xanthomonas encounters highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) from many sources, such as those generated by plants against invading bacteria, other soil bacteria and from aerobic respiration. Thus, conditions that alter intracellular ROS levels such as exposure to toxic metalloids would have profound effects on bacterial physiology. Here, we report that exposure of Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (Xp) to low levels of arsenic induces physiological cross-protection against killing by H(2)O(2) and organic hydroperoxide but not a superoxide generator. Cross-protection against H(2)O(2) and organic hydroperoxide toxicity was due to increased expression of genes encoding major peroxide-metabolizing enzymes such as alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpC), catalase (KatA) and organic hydroperoxide resistance protein (Ohr). Arsenic-induced protection against H(2)O(2) and organic hydroperoxide requires the peroxide stress response regulators, OxyR and OhrR, respectively. Moreover, analyses of double mutants of the major H(2)O(2) and organic hyproperoxide-scavenging enzymes, Xp ahpC katA and Xp ahpC ohr, respectively, suggested the existence of unidentified OxyR- and OhrR-regulated genes that are involved in arsenic-induced resistance to H(2)O(2) and organic hyproperoxide killing in Xp. These arsenic-induced physiological alterations could play an important role in bacterial survival both in the soil environment and during plant-pathogen interactions. | 2006 | 16907748 |
| 713 | 5 | 0.9988 | OxyR-activated expression of Dps is important for Vibrio cholerae oxidative stress resistance and pathogenesis. Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, a dehydrating diarrheal disease. This Gram-negative pathogen is able to modulate its gene expression in order to combat stresses encountered in both aquatic and host environments, including stress posed by reactive oxygen species (ROS). In order to further the understanding of V. cholerae's transcriptional response to ROS, we performed an RNA sequencing analysis to determine the transcriptional profile of V. cholerae when exposed to hydrogen hydroperoxide. Of 135 differentially expressed genes, VC0139 was amongst the genes with the largest induction. VC0139 encodes a protein homologous to the DPS (DNA-binding protein from starved cells) protein family, which are widely conserved and are implicated in ROS resistance in other bacteria. Using a promoter reporter assay, we show that during exponential growth, dps is induced by H2O2 in a manner dependent on the ROS-sensing transcriptional regulator, OxyR. Upon entry into stationary phase, the major stationary phase regulator RpoS is required to transcribe dps. Deletion of dps impaired V. cholerae resistance to both inorganic and organic hydroperoxides. Furthermore, we show that Dps is involved in resistance to multiple environmental stresses. Finally, we found that Dps is important for V. cholerae adult mouse colonization, but becomes dispensable in the presence of antioxidants. Taken together, our results suggest that Dps plays vital roles in both V. cholerae stress resistance and pathogenesis. | 2017 | 28151956 |
| 6355 | 6 | 0.9987 | Regulation of resistance to copper in Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria. Copper-resistant strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria were previously shown to carry plasmid-borne copper resistance genes related to the cop and pco operons of Pseudomonas syringae and Escherichia coli, respectively. However, instead of the two-component (copRS and pcoRS) systems determining copper-inducible expression of the operons in P. syringae and E. coli, a novel open reading frame, copL, was found to be required for copper-inducible expression of the downstream multicopper oxidase copA in X. axonopodis. copL encodes a predicted protein product of 122 amino acids that is rich in histidine and cysteine residues, suggesting a possible direct interaction with copper. Deletions or frameshift mutations within copL, as well as an amino acid substitution generated at the putative start codon of copL, caused a loss of copper-inducible transcriptional activation of copA. A nonpolar insertion of a kanamycin resistance gene in copL resulted in copper sensitivity in the wild-type strain. However, repeated attempts to complement copL mutations in trans failed. Analysis of the genomic sequence databases shows that there are copL homologs upstream of copAB genes in X. axonopodis pv. citri, X. campestris pv. campestris, and Xylella fastidiosa. The cloned promoter area upstream of copA in X. axonopodis pv. vesicatoria did not function in Pseudomonas syringae or in E. coli, nor did the P. syringae cop promoter function in Xanthomonas. However, a transcriptional fusion of the Xanthomonas cop promoter with the Pseudomonas copABCDRS was able to confer resistance to copper in Xanthomonas, showing divergence in the mechanisms of regulation of the resistance to copper in phytopathogenic bacteria. | 2005 | 15691931 |
| 688 | 7 | 0.9987 | The cop operon is required for copper homeostasis and contributes to virulence in Streptococcus pneumoniae. High levels of copper are toxic and therefore bacteria must limit free intracellular levels to prevent cellular damage. In this study, we show that a number of pneumococcal genes are differentially regulated by copper, including an operon encoding a CopY regulator, a protein of unknown function (CupA) and a P1-type ATPase, CopA, which is conserved in all sequenced Streptococcus pneumoniae strains. Transcriptional analysis demonstrated that the cop operon is induced by copper in vitro, repressed by the addition of zinc and is autoregulated by the copper-responsive CopY repressor protein. We also demonstrate that the CopA ATPase is a major pneumococcal copper resistance mechanism and provide the first evidence that the CupA protein plays a role in copper resistance. Our results also show that copper homeostasis is important for pneumococcal virulence as the expression of the cop operon is induced in the lungs and nasopharynx of intranasally infected mice, and a copA(-) mutant strain, which had decreased growth in high levels of copper in vitro, showed reduced virulence in a mouse model of pneumococcal pneumonia. Furthermore, using the copA(-) mutant we observed for the first time in any bacteria that copper homeostasis also appears to be required for survival in the nasopharynx. | 2011 | 21736642 |
| 595 | 8 | 0.9987 | Aerotolerance and peroxide resistance in peroxidase and PerR mutants of Streptococcus pyogenes. Survival in aerobic conditions is critical to the pathogenicity of many bacteria. To investigate the means of aerotolerance and resistance to oxidative stress in the catalase-negative organism Streptococcus pyogenes, we used a genomics-based approach to identify and inactivate homologues of two peroxidase genes, encoding alkyl hydroperoxidase (ahpC) and glutathione peroxidase (gpoA). Single and double mutants survived as well as the wild type under aerobic conditions. However, they were more susceptible than the wild type to growth suppression by paraquat and cumene hydroperoxide. In addition, we show that S. pyogenes demonstrates an inducible peroxide resistance response when treated with sublethal doses of peroxide. This resistance response was intact in ahpC and gpoA mutants but not in mutants lacking PerR, a repressor of several genes including ahpC and catalase (katA) in Bacillus subtilis. Because our data indicate that these peroxidase genes are not essential for aerotolerance or induced resistance to peroxide stress in S. pyogenes, genes for a novel mechanism of managing peroxide stress may be regulated by PerR in streptococci. | 2000 | 10986229 |
| 689 | 9 | 0.9987 | Regulatory and DNA repair genes contribute to the desiccation resistance of Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm1021. Sinorhizobium meliloti can form a nitrogen-fixing symbiotic relationship with alfalfa after bacteria in the soil infect emerging root hairs of the growing plant. To be successful at this, the bacteria must be able to survive in the soil between periods of active plant growth, including when conditions are dry. The ability of S. meliloti to withstand desiccation has been known for years, but genes that contribute to this phenotype have not been identified. Transposon mutagenesis was used in combination with novel screening techniques to identify four desiccation-sensitive mutants of S. meliloti Rm1021. DNA sequencing of the transposon insertion sites identified three genes with regulatory functions (relA, rpoE2, and hpr) and a DNA repair gene (uvrC). Various phenotypes of the mutants were determined, including their behavior on several indicator media and in symbiosis. All of the mutants formed an effective symbiosis with alfalfa. To test the hypothesis that UvrC-related excision repair was important in desiccation resistance, uvrA, uvrB, and uvrC deletion mutants were also constructed. These strains were sensitive to DNA damage induced by UV light and 4-NQO and were also desiccation sensitive. These data indicate that uvr gene-mediated DNA repair and the regulation of stress-induced pathways are important for desiccation resistance. | 2009 | 19028909 |
| 557 | 10 | 0.9987 | Identification of a MarR Subfamily That Regulates Arsenic Resistance Genes. In this study, comprehensive analyses were performed to determine the function of an atypical MarR homolog in Achromobacter sp. strain As-55. Genomic analyses of Achromobacter sp. As-55 showed that this marR is located adjacent to an arsV gene. ArsV is a flavin-dependent monooxygenase that confers resistance to the antibiotic methylarsenite [MAs(III)], the organoarsenic compound roxarsone(III) [Rox(III)], and the inorganic antimonite [Sb(III)]. Similar marR genes are widely distributed in arsenic-resistant bacteria. Phylogenetic analyses showed that these MarRs are found in operons predicted to be involved in resistance to inorganic and organic arsenic species, so the subfamily was named MarR(ars). MarR(ars) orthologs have three conserved cysteine residues, which are Cys36, Cys37, and Cys157 in Achromobacter sp. As-55, mutation of which compromises the response to MAs(III)/Sb(III). GFP-fluorescent biosensor assays show that AdMarR(ars) (MarR protein of Achromobacter deleyi As-55) responds to trivalent As(III) and Sb(III) but not to pentavalent As(V) or Sb(V). The results of RT-qPCR assays show that arsV is expressed constitutively in a marR deletion mutant, indicating that marR represses transcription of arsV. Moreover, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) demonstrate that AdMarR(ars) binds to the promoters of both marR and arsV in the absence of ligands and that DNA binding is relieved upon binding of As(III) and Sb(III). Our results demonstrate that AdMarR(ars) is a novel As(III)/Sb(III)-responsive transcriptional repressor that controls expression of arsV, which confers resistance to MAs(III), Rox(III), and Sb(III). AdMarR(ars) and its orthologs form a subfamily of MarR proteins that regulate genes conferring resistance to arsenic-containing antibiotics. IMPORTANCE In this study, a MarR family member, AdMarR(ars) was shown to regulate the arsV gene, which confers resistance to arsenic-containing antibiotics. It is a founding member of a distinct subfamily that we refer to as MarR(ars), regulating genes conferring resistance to arsenic and antimony antibiotic compounds. AdMarR(ars) was shown to be a repressor containing conserved cysteine residues that are required to bind As(III) and Sb(III), leading to a conformational change and subsequent derepression. Here we show that members of the MarR family are involved in regulating arsenic-containing compounds. | 2021 | 34613763 |
| 598 | 11 | 0.9986 | Bacteria possessing two RelA/SpoT-like proteins have evolved a specific stringent response involving the acyl carrier protein-SpoT interaction. Bacteria respond to nutritional stress by producing (p)ppGpp, which triggers a stringent response resulting in growth arrest and expression of resistance genes. In Escherichia coli, RelA produces (p)ppGpp upon amino acid starvation by detecting stalled ribosomes. The SpoT enzyme responds to various other types of starvation by unknown mechanisms. We previously described an interaction between SpoT and the central cofactor of lipid synthesis, acyl carrier protein (ACP), which is involved in detecting starvation signals in lipid metabolism and triggering SpoT-dependent (p)ppGpp accumulation. However, most bacteria possess a unique protein homologous to RelA/SpoT (Rsh) that is able to synthesize and degrade (p)ppGpp and is therefore more closely related to SpoT function. In this study, we asked if the ACP-SpoT interaction is specific for bacteria containing two RelA and SpoT enzymes or if it is a general feature that is conserved in Rsh enzymes. By testing various combinations of SpoT, RelA, and Rsh enzymes and ACPs of E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, we found that the interaction between (p)ppGpp synthases and ACP seemed to be restricted to SpoT proteins of bacteria containing the two RelA and SpoT proteins and to ACP proteins encoded by genes located in fatty acid synthesis operons. When Rsh enzymes from B. subtilis and S. pneumoniae are produced in E. coli, the behavior of these enzymes is different from the behavior of both RelA and SpoT proteins with respect to (p)ppGpp synthesis. This suggests that bacteria have evolved several different modes of (p)ppGpp regulation in order to respond to nutrient starvation. | 2009 | 18996989 |
| 599 | 12 | 0.9986 | RNase III participates in control of quorum sensing, pigmentation and oxidative stress resistance in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. RNase III is a dsRNA-specific endoribonuclease, highly conserved in bacteria and eukarya. In this study, we analysed the effects of inactivation of RNase III on the transcriptome and the phenotype of the facultative phototrophic α-proteobacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. RNA-seq revealed an unexpectedly high amount of genes with increased expression located directly downstream to the rRNA operons. Chromosomal insertion of additional transcription terminators restored wild type-like expression of the downstream genes, indicating that RNase III may modulate the rRNA transcription termination in R. sphaeroides. Furthermore, we identified RNase III as a major regulator of quorum-sensing autoinducer synthesis in R. sphaeroides. It negatively controls the expression of the autoinducer synthase CerI by reducing cerI mRNA stability. In addition, RNase III inactivation caused altered resistance against oxidative stress and impaired formation of photosynthetically active pigment-protein complexes. We also observed an increase in the CcsR small RNAs that were previously shown to promote resistance to oxidative stress. Taken together, our data present interesting insights into RNase III-mediated regulation and expand the knowledge on the function of this important enzyme in bacteria. | 2023 | 37823424 |
| 600 | 13 | 0.9986 | Protein aggregation caused by aminoglycoside action is prevented by a hydrogen peroxide scavenger. Protein mistranslation causes growth arrest in bacteria, mitochondrial dysfunction in yeast, and neurodegeneration in mammals. It remains poorly understood how mistranslated proteins cause such cellular defects. Here we demonstrate that streptomycin, a bactericidal aminoglycoside that increases ribosomal mistranslation, induces transient protein aggregation in wild-type Escherichia coli. We further determined the aggregated proteome using label-free quantitative mass spectrometry. To identify genes that reduce cellular mistranslation toxicity, we selected from an overexpression library protein products that increased resistance against streptomycin and kanamycin. The selected proteins were significantly enriched in members of the oxidation-reduction pathway. Overexpressing one of these proteins, alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit F (a protein defending bacteria against hydrogen peroxide), but not its inactive mutant suppressed aggregated protein formation upon streptomycin treatment and increased aminoglycoside resistance. This work provides in-depth analyses of an aggregated proteome caused by streptomycin and suggests that cellular defense against hydrogen peroxide lowers the toxicity of mistranslation. | 2012 | 23122414 |
| 687 | 14 | 0.9986 | RpoS-Regulated Genes and Phenotypes in the Phytopathogenic Bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum. The alternative sigma factor RpoS is considered to be one of the major regulators providing stress resistance and cross-protection in bacteria. In phytopathogenic bacteria, the effects of RpoS have not been analyzed with regard to cross-protection, and genes whose expression is directly or indirectly controlled by RpoS have not been determined at the whole-transcriptome level. Our study aimed to determine RpoS-regulated genes and phenotypes in the phytopathogenic bacterium Pectobacterium atrosepticum. Knockout of the rpoS gene in P. atrosepticum affected the long-term starvation response, cross-protection, and virulence toward plants with enhanced immune status. The whole-transcriptome profiles of the wild-type P. atrosepticum strain and its ΔrpoS mutant were compared under different experimental conditions, and functional gene groups whose expression was affected by RpoS were determined. The RpoS promoter motif was inferred within the promoter regions of the genes affected by rpoS deletion, and the P. atrosepticum RpoS regulon was predicted. Based on RpoS-controlled phenotypes, transcriptome profiles, and RpoS regulon composition, the regulatory role of RpoS in P. atrosepticum is discussed. | 2023 | 38139177 |
| 592 | 15 | 0.9985 | Metabolism of Tryptophan and Tryptophan Analogs by Rhizobium meliloti. The alfalfa symbiont Rhizobium meliloti Rm1021 produces indole-3-acetic acid in a regulated manner when supplied with exogenous tryptophan. Mutants with altered response to tryptophan analogs still produce indole-3-acetic acid, but are Fix(-) because bacteria do not fully differentiate into the nitrogen-fixing bacteriod form. These mutations are in apparently essential genes tightly linked to a dominant streptomycin resistance locus. | 1990 | 16667364 |
| 597 | 16 | 0.9985 | Pyruvate-associated acid resistance in bacteria. Glucose confers acid resistance on exponentially growing bacteria by repressing formation of the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-cAMP receptor protein (CRP) complex and consequently activating acid resistance genes. Therefore, in a glucose-rich growth environment, bacteria are capable of resisting acidic stresses due to low levels of cAMP-CRP. Here we reveal a second mechanism for glucose-conferred acid resistance. We show that glucose induces acid resistance in exponentially growing bacteria through pyruvate, the glycolysis product. Pyruvate and/or the downstream metabolites induce expression of the small noncoding RNA (sncRNA) Spot42, and the sncRNA, in turn, activates expression of the master regulator of acid resistance, RpoS. In contrast to glucose, pyruvate has little effect on levels of the cAMP-CRP complex and does not require the complex for its effects on acid resistance. Another important difference between glucose and pyruvate is that pyruvate can be produced by bacteria. This means that bacteria have the potential to protect themselves from acidic stresses by controlling glucose-derived generation of pyruvate, pyruvate-acetate efflux, or reversion from acetate to pyruvate. We tested this possibility by shutting down pyruvate-acetate efflux and found that the resulting accumulation of pyruvate elevated acid resistance. Many sugars can be broken into glucose, and the subsequent glycolysis generates pyruvate. Therefore, pyruvate-associated acid resistance is not confined to glucose-grown bacteria but is functional in bacteria grown on various sugars. | 2014 | 24795365 |
| 601 | 17 | 0.9985 | Translation attenuation regulation of chloramphenicol resistance in bacteria--a review. The chloramphenicol (Cm)-inducible cat and cmlA genes are regulated by translation attenuation, a regulatory device that modulates mRNA translation. In this form of gene regulation, translation of the CmR coding sequence is prevented by mRNA secondary structure that sequesters its ribosome-binding site (RBS). A translated leader of nine codons precedes the secondary structure, and induction results when a ribosome becomes stalled at a specific site in the leader. Here we demonstrate that the site of ribosome stalling in the leader is selected by a cis effect of the nascent leader peptide on its translating ribosome. | 1996 | 8955642 |
| 178 | 18 | 0.9985 | Molecular basis of bacterial resistance to organomercurial and inorganic mercuric salts. Bacteria mediate resistance to organomercurial and inorganic mercuric salts by metabolic conversion to nontoxic elemental mercury, Hg(0). The genes responsible for mercury resistance are organized in the mer operon, and such operons are often found in plasmids that also bear drug resistance determinants. We have subcloned three of these mer genes, merR, merB, and merA, and have studied their protein products via protein overproduction and purification, and structural and functional characterization. MeR is a metalloregulatory DNA-binding protein that acts as a repressor of both its own and structural gene transcription in the absence of Hg(II); in addition it acts as a positive effector of structural gene transcription when Hg(II) is present. MerB, organomercury lyase, catalyzes the protonolytic fragmentation of organomercurials to the parent hydrocarbon and Hg(II) by an apparent SE2 mechanism. MerA, mercuric ion reductase, is an FAD-containing and redox-active disulfide-containing enzyme with homology to glutathione reductase. It has evolved the unique catalytic capacity to reduce Hg(II) to Hg(0) and thereby complete the detoxification scheme. | 1988 | 3277886 |
| 180 | 19 | 0.9984 | Bacterial resistances to inorganic mercury salts and organomercurials. Environmental and clinical isolates of mercury-resistant (resistant to inorganic mercury salts and organomercurials) bacteria have genes for the enzymes mercuric ion reductase and organomercurial lyase. These genes are often plasmid-encoded, although chromosomally encoded resistance determinants have been occasionally identified. Organomercurial lyase cleaves the C-Hg bond and releases Hg(II) in addition to the appropriate organic compound. Mercuric reductase reduces Hg(II) to Hg(O), which is nontoxic and volatilizes from the medium. Mercuric reductase is a FAD-containing oxidoreductase and requires NAD(P)H and thiol for in vitro activity. The crystal structure of mercuric ion reductase has been partially solved. The primary sequence and the three-dimensional structure of the mercuric reductase are significantly homologous to those of other flavin-containing oxidoreductases, e.g., glutathione reductase and lipoamide dehydrogenase. The active site sequences are the most conserved region among these flavin-containing enzymes. Genes encoding other functions have been identified on all mercury ion resistance determinants studied thus far. All mercury resistance genes are clustered into an operon. Hg(II) is transported into the cell by the products of one to three genes encoded on the resistance determinants. The expression of the operon is regulated and is inducible by Hg(II). In some systems, the operon is inducible by both Hg(II) and some organomercurials. In gram-negative bacteria, two regulatory genes (merR and merD) were identified. The (merR) regulatory gene is transcribed divergently from the other genes in gram-negative bacteria. The product of merR represses operon expression in the absence of the inducers and activates transcription in the presence of the inducers. The product of merD coregulates (modulates) the expression of the operon. Both merR and merD gene products bind to the same operator DNA. The primary sequence of the promoter for the polycistronic mer operon is not ideal for efficient transcription by the RNA polymerase. The -10 and -35 sequences are separated by 19 (gram-negative systems) or 20 (gram-positive systems) nucleotides, 2 or 3 nucleotides longer than the 17-nucleotide optimum distance for binding and efficient transcription by the Escherichia coli sigma 70-containing RNA polymerase. The binding site of MerR is not altered by the presence of Hg(II) (inducer). Experimental data suggest that the MerR-Hg(II) complex alters the local structure of the promoter region, facilitating initiation of transcription of the mer operon by the RNA polymerase. In gram-positive bacteria MerR also positively regulates expression of the mer operon in the presence of Hg(II). | 1992 | 1311113 |