[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/ Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Role offlhDC in the expression of the nuclease genenucA, cell division and flagellar synthesis inserratia marcescens

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Biomedical Science

Abstract

We investigated inSerratia marcescens the functions of theflhDC operon, which controls motility and cell division in enteric bacteria. Included in our evaluations were investigation of cell division, flagellar synthesis and regulation of the expression of nuclease (encoded by thenucA Sm gene, one of the virulence factors). Interruption of the chromosomalflhDC operon inS. marcescens CH-1 resulted in aberrant cell division and loss of nuclease and flagella. Expression ofnucA Sm and other mutated phenotypes was restored in theflhDC mutant by the induction of overexpression offlhDC in a multicopy plasmid. MulticopiedflhDC also induced the formation of differentiated cells (polyploid aseptate cells with oversynthesis of peritrichous flagella) in broth culture using minimal growth medium. Expression of theflhDC operon showed positive autoregulation, and was growth phase dependent (upregulated in early log phase). In addition,flhDC expression was inhibited when the temperature increased from 30 to 37°C, and when osmolarity was increased, but was not influenced by glucose catabolite repression. These results show that FlhD/FlhC is a multifunctional transcriptional activator involved in the process of cell differentiation, swarming and virulence factor expression.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
£29.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Adler J, Templeton B. The effect of environmental conditions on the motility ofEscherichia coli. J Gen Microbiol 46:175–184;1967.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Al Mamun AA, Tominaga A, Enomoto M. Detection and characterization of the flagellar master operon in the fourShigella subgroups. J Bacteriol 178:3722–3726;1996.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Ball TK, Wasmuth CR, Braunagel SC, Benedik MJ. Expression ofSerratia marcescens extracellular proteins requiresrecA. J Bacteriol 172:342–349;1990.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Chen YC, Shipley GL, Ball TK, Benedik MJ. Regulatory mutants and transcriptional control of theSerratia marcescens extracellular nuclease gene. Mol Microbiol 6:643–651;1992.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dufour A, Furness RB, Hughes C. Novel genes that upregulate theProteus mirabilis flhDC master operon controlling flagellar biogenesis and swarming. Mol Microbiol 29:741–751;1998.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Eberl L, Christiansen G, Molin S, Givskov M, Guynn LJ, Dai W, Benedik MJ. Differentiation ofSerratia liquefaciens into swarm cells is controlled by the expression of theflhD master operon. J Bacteriol 178:554–559;1996.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Emmer M, de Crombrugghe B, Pastan I, Perlman R. Cyclic AMP receptor protein ofE. coli: Its role in the synthesis of inducible enzymes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 66:480–487;1970.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Furness RB, Fraser GM, Hay NA, Hughes C. Negative feedback from aProteus class II flagellum export defect to theflhDC master operon controlling cell division and flagellum assembly. J Bacteriol 179:5585–5588;1997.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Givskov M, Eberl L, Christiansen G, Benedik MJ, Molin S. Induction of phospholipase- and flagellar synthesis inSerratia liquefaciens is controlled by expression of the flagellar master operonflhD. Mol Microbiol 15:445–454;1995.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Givskov M, Ostling J, Eberl L, Lindum PW, Christensen AB, Christiansen G, Molin S, Kjelleberg S. Two separate regulatory systems participate in control of swarming motility ofSerratia liquefaciens MG1. J Bacteriol 180:742–745;1998.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Harshey RM. Bees aren't the only ones: Swarming in gram-negative bacteria. Mol Microbiol 13:389–394;1994.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Harshey RM, Estepa G, Yanagi H. Cloning and nucleotide sequence of a flagellin-coding gene (hag) fromSerratia marcescens 274. Gene 79:1–8;1989.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hsing W, Silhavy TJ. Function of conserved histidine-243 in phosphatase activity of EnvZ, the sensor for porin osmoregulation inEscherichia coli. J Bacteriol 179:3729–3735;1997.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Khan EA, Wafelman LS, Garcia-Prats JA, Taber LH.Serratia marcescens pneumonia, empyema and pneumatocele in a preterm neonate. Pediatr Infect Dis J 16:1003–1005;1997.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Koneman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Schrekenberger PC, Winn WC. Color Atlas and Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology, ed 5. Philadelphia, Lippincott, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kutsukake K. Autogenous and global control of the flagellar master operon,flhD, inSalmonella typhimurium. Mol Gen Genet 254:440–448;1997.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Lai HC. Molecular studies on the swarming migration ofProteus mirabilis; PhD thesis, Cambridge University, 1994.

  18. Lai HC, Lai MJ, Lin-Chao S, Luh KT, Ho SW. Population cell differentiation ofSerratia marcescens on agar surface and in broth culture. Chung Hua Ming Kuo Wei Sheng Wu Chi Mien I Hsueh Tsa Chih 30:242–254;1997.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Lai HC, Shu JC, Ang S, Lai MJ, Fruta B, Lin S, Luh KT, Ho SW. Effect of glucose concentration on swimming motility in enterobacteria. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 231:692–695;1997.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Li C, Louise CJ, Shi W, Adler J. Adverse conditions which cause lack of flagella inEscherichia coli. J Bacteriol 175:2229–2235;1993.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Lindum PW, Anthoni U, Christophersen C, Eberl L, Molin S, Givskov M. N-Acyl-L-homoserine lactone autoinducers control production of an extracellular lipopeptide biosurfactant required for swarming motility ofSerratia liquefaciens MG1. J Bacteriol 180:6384–6388;1998.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Liu XY, Matsumura P. The FlhD/FlhC complex, a transcriptional activator of theEscherichia coli flagellar class II operons. J Bacteriol 176:7345–7351;1994.

    Google Scholar 

  23. de Lorenzo V, Herrero M, Jakubzik U, Timmis KN. Mini-Tn5 transposon derivatives for insertion mutagenesis, promoter probing, and chromosomal insertion of cloned DNA in gram-negative eubacteria. J Bacteriol 172:6568–6572;1990.

    Google Scholar 

  24. de Lorenzo V, Timmis KN. Analysis and construction of stable phenotypes in gram-negative bacteria with Tn5- and Tn10-derived mini-transposons. Bacterial pathogenesis part A. Identification and regulation of virulence factors. Methods Enzymol 235:386–405;1994.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Macnab RM. Genetics and biogenesis of bacterial flagella. Annu Rev Genet 26:131–158;1992.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Maniatis T, Sambrook J, Fritsch EF. Molecular Cloning. A Laboratory Manual, ed 2. Cold Spring Harbor, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Matsuyama T, Bhasin A, Harshey RM. Mutational analysis of flagellum-independent surface spreading ofSerratia marcescens 274 on a low-agar medium. J Bacteriol 177:987–991;1995.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Peeters A, Vandercam B, Sindic CJ, Hantson P, Mahieu P. Community-acquiredSerratia marcescens meningitis. J Infect Dis 35:303–304;1997.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Pruss BM, Markovic D, Matsumura P. TheEscherichia coli flagellar transcriptional activatorflhD regulates cell division through induction of the acid response genecadA. J Bacteriol 179:3818–3821;1997.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Pruss BM, Matsumura P. A regulator of the flagellar regulon ofEscherichia coli, flhD, also affects cell division. J Bacteriol 178:668–674;1996.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Shin S, Park C. Modulation of flagellar expression inEscherichia coli by acetyl phosphate and the osmoregulator OmpR. J Bacteriol 177:4696–4702;1995.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School and Graduate Institute of Medical Technology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1 Chan-Der Street, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)

    Jia-Hurng Liu, Meng-Jiun Lai, Sunny Ang, Jwu-Ching Shu, Po-Chi Soo, Yu-Tze Horng, Wen-Ching Yi, Hsin-Chih Lai & Shen-Wu Ho

  2. Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC

    Hsin-Chih Lai, Kwen-Tay Luh & Shen-Wu Ho

  3. Institute of Infections and Immunity, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, UK

    Simon Swift

  4. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Park, Nottingham, UK

    Simon Swift

Authors
  1. Jia-Hurng Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Meng-Jiun Lai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sunny Ang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jwu-Ching Shu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Po-Chi Soo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yu-Tze Horng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Wen-Ching Yi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Hsin-Chih Lai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Kwen-Tay Luh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Shen-Wu Ho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Simon Swift
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The Gen Bank accession number forflhDC is AF077334.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Liu, JH., Lai, MJ., Ang, S. et al. Role offlhDC in the expression of the nuclease genenucA, cell division and flagellar synthesis inserratia marcescens . J Biomed Sci 7, 475–483 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02253363

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02253363

Key Words

Search

Navigation