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  • 1
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    [s.l.] : Nature Publishing Company
    Nature biotechnology 5 (1987), S. 469-477 
    ISSN: 1546-1696
    Source: Nature Archives 1869 - 2009
    Topics: Biology , Process Engineering, Biotechnology, Nutrition Technology
    Notes: [Auszug] Alginate is an exopolysaccharide of industrial and medical importance. Understanding the biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology of alginate biosynthesis by P. aeruginosa is undergoing rapid development. The alginate biosynthetic pathway has been partially deduced. Transcriptional activation ...
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 2
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 36 (2000), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: The conversion to mucoid phenotype in Pseudomonas aeruginosa during chronic infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) is due to mutations in the algU mucABCD gene cluster. This cluster encodes an extreme stress response system conserved in Gram-negative bacteria. The system includes an ECF sigma factor, AlgU (σE), an inner membrane protein, MucA, which inhibits AlgU activity, and MucB, a periplasmic protein that negatively controls AlgU. In this work, we investigated whether and how these factor interact to transduce signals between different cellular compartments. The mutation mucAΔG440, which renders a large fraction of P. aeruginosa CF isolates mucoid, did not abrogate AlgU–MucA interactions, although it eliminated MucA–MucB interactions in the yeast two-hybrid system. The mucAΔG440 truncation of the periplasmic C-terminal tail of MucA destabilized the molecule resulting in low or undetectable steady-state levels in P. aeruginosa. Somewhat reduced levels of MucA were also seen in cells with inactivated mucB or with the mucACF53 allele carrying the missense P184S mutation, which mildly affected interactions with MucB. The events downstream from MucA destabilization were also investigated. AlgU was found to associate with inner membranes in mucA+ cells. In mutants destabilizing MucA, a limited redistribution of AlgU from the membrane to the cytosol was observed. The redistribution was spontaneous in mucAΔG440 cells, while in mucB and mucACF53 mutants it required additional signals. Despite a large reduction in MucA levels in mucAΔG440 cells, only a small fraction of AlgU was redistributed to the cytosol and a significant portion of this σ factor remained membrane bound and behaved as a peripheral inner membrane protein. The fraction of AlgU that depended on MucA for association with the membrane also brought RNA polymerase into this compartment. These results are consistent with a model in which MucB–MucA–AlgU–RNA polymerase interactions at the membrane allow transduction of potentially lethal stress signals with both rapid reaction times of the preassembled complexes and efficient resupply at the membrane from the prebound components.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 3
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford BSL : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 31 (1999), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: The arrest of Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagosome maturation in infected macrophages is a phenomenon of dual significance both for the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and as a model system to study interference of microbes with membrane trafficking and organelle biogenesis in host cells. Among other factors, compartment-specialized regulators of vesicular trafficking and other parts of membrane fusion machinery are likely to play a role in these processes. Here we summarize the emerging view of mycobacterial phagosome maturation arrest in the context of the dynamic processes of intracellular membrane trafficking.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 4
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Increased levels of alginate biosynthesis cause mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a virulence factor of particular importance in cystic fibrosis. The algR gene product, which controls transcription of a key alginate biosynthetic gene, algD, is homologous to the activator members of the two-component, environmentally responsive systems (NtrC, OmpR, PhoB, ArcA, etc). In this report, we show that mutations in the muc loci, (muc-2, muc-22, and muc-23, in the standard genetic P. aeruginosa strain PAO, as well as a mapped muc allele in an isolate from a cystic fibrosis patient) affect transcription of algD and algR. This influence was strongly dependent on environmental factors. Regulation by nitrogen was observed in all strains examined, but the absolute transcriptional levels, determining the mucoid or non-mucoid status, were strain (muc allele)-dependent. Increased concentrations of NaCl in the medium, an osmolyte which is elevated in cystic fibrosis lung secretions, resulted in an increased algD transcription and mucoid phenotype in a muc-2 strain; the same conditions, however, produced a nonmucoid phenotype in the muc-23 background and abolished algD transcription. Mutations in the muc loci may cause mucoidy by deregulating the normal response of the alginate system to environmental stimuli.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 5
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: The systems participating in detoxification of reactive oxygen intermediates in Mycobacterium tuberculosis are believed to play a dual role in the biology of this highly adapted human pathogen: (i) they may contribute to the survival of this bacterium in the host; and (ii) alterations in the gene encoding catalase/peroxidase have been linked to this organism's resistance to the front-line antituberculosis drug isoniazid. These relationships prompted us to extend investigations of the oxidative-stress-response systems in M. tuberculosis by analysing the alkyl hydroperoxide reductase gene ahpC and its putative regulator oxyR. Surprisingly, the oxyR gene was found to be inactivated by multiple lesions in M. tuberculosis H37Rv. These alterations were observed in all M. tuberculosis strains tested, and in members of the M. tuberculosis complex: Mycobacterium bovis BCG, Mycobacterium africanum, and Mycobacterium microti. The corresponding region carrying these genes in Mycobacterium leprae, an organism not sensitive to isoniazid, has a complete oxyR gene divergently transcribed from ahpC. An increase in minimal inhibitory concentration for isoniazid was observed upon transformation of M. tuberculosis H37Rv with cosmids carrying the oxyR—ahpC region of M. leprae. In keeping with the observed inactivation of oxyR, transcriptional activity of the corresponding region in M. tuberculosis was an order of magnitude lower than that of the oxyR gene from M. leprae. While the loss of this putative regulator of oxidative-stress response in M. tuberculosis is paradoxical considering the fact that survival in host macrophages is regarded as a critical feature of this pathogen, it offers a partial explanation for the exquisite sensitivity of M. tuberculosis to isoniazid.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 6
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 36 (2000), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: The conversion to mucoid, exopolysaccharide alginate-overproducing phenotype in Pseudomonas aeruginosa during chronic respiratory infections in cystic fibrosis patients occurs via mutations that activate the alternative sigma factor AlgU (σE). In this study, we demonstrate that conversion to mucoidy can be caused via a second, algU-independent pathway, in which alginate production and transcription of the critical algD promoter depend on another alternative σ factor, RpoN (σ54). The algD promoters dependent on σ54 and σE showed a complete overlap resulting in identical mRNA 5′ ends. The two pathways were not independent, as σ54 also repressed σE-dependent transcription of algD both in vitro and in vivo. The negative regulatory effect of σ54 on σE-dependent algD expression was based on σ54 binding to the algD promoter and its interference with σE-dependent transcription. This phenomenon, referred to here as σ factor antagonism, reflects the unique properties of σ54, which lacks an intrinsic ability to form open transcription initiation complexes. We propose that this peculiar feature of σ54 has evolved in part to allow its recruitment as a repressor of certain promoter subsets. The repression of algD by σ54 also depends on environmental conditions, supporting the notion that σ factor antagonism plays a physiological role in controlling alginate production in P. aeruginosa during adaptation to different ecological sites (e.g. biofilm development, stress and other growth conditions) and unique environments in the chronically infected host.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 7
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0EL, UK : Blackwell Scientific Publication
    Molecular microbiology 17 (1995), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: The green fluorescent protein (GFP) of the jellyfish Aequorea victoria offers certain advantages over other bioluminescence systems because no exogenously added substrate or co-factors are necessary, and fluorescence can be elicited by irradiation with blue light without exposing the cells producing GFP to invasive treatments. A mycobacterial shuttle-plasmid vector carrying gfp cDNA was constructed and used to generate transcriptional fusions with promoters of interest and to examine their expression in Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium bovis BCG grown in macrophages or on laboratory media. The promoters studied were: (i) ahpC from Mycoosis and Mycobacterium leprae, a gene encoding alkyl hydroperoxide reductase which, along with the divergently transcribed regulator oxyR, are homologues of corresponding stress-response systems in enteric bacteria and play a role in isoniazid sensitivity; (ii) mtrA, an M. tuberculosis response regulator belonging to the superfamily of bacterial two-component signal-transduction systems; (iii) hsp60, a previously characterized heat-shock gene from M. bovis; and (iv) tbprc3, a newly isolated promoter from M. tuberculosis. Expression of these promoters in mycobacteria was analysed using epifluorescence microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and flow cytometry. These approaches permitted assessment of fluorescence prior to and after macrophage infection, and analyses of promoter expression in individual mycobacteria and its distribution within populations of bacterial cells. Bacteria expressing GFP from a strong promoter could be separated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting from cells harbouring the vector used to construct the fusion. In addition, the stable expression of mtrA-gfp fusion in M. bovis BCG facilitated localization and isolation of phagocytic vesicles containing mycobacteria. The experiments presented here suggest that GFP will be a useful tool for analysis of mycobacterial gene expression and a convenient cell biology marker to study mycobacterial interactions with macrophages.
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  • 8
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford BSL : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 24 (1997), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Conversion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the mucoid phenotype plays a major role in the pathogenesis of respiratory infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). One mechanism responsible for mucoidy is based on mutations that inactivate the anti-σ factor, MucA, which normally inhibits the alternative sigma factor, AlgU. The loss of MucA allows AlgU to freely direct transcription of the genes responsible for the production of the exopolysaccharide alginate resulting in mucoid colony morphology. In Escherichia coli, a close homologue of AlgU, σE, directs transcription of several genes under conditions of extreme heat shock. Here we examined whether AlgU, besides its role in controlling alginate production, affects the heat-shock response in P. aeruginosa. The P. aeruginosa rpoH gene encoding a homologue of the major heat-shock sigma factor, σ32, was found to be transcribed by AlgU containing RNA polymerase from one of its promoters (P3) identified in this study. Transcription of rpoH from P3 was elevated upon exposure to extreme heat shock in an algU-dependent manner. Importantly, the AlgU-dependent promoter of rpoH was found to be activated in mucoid mucA mutants. In keeping with this observation, introduction of a wild-type mucA gene abrogated AlgU-dependent rpoH transcription in mucoid P. aeruginosa laboratory isolates and CF isolates. These results suggest that conversion to mucoidy and the heat-shock response are co-ordinately regulated in P. aeruginosa. The simultaneous activation of both systems in mucA mutants, selected in the lungs of CF patients, may have significance for the inflammatory processes characteristic of the establishment of chronic infection and ensuing clinical deterioration in CF.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 9
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd
    Molecular microbiology 9 (1993), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a critical virulence factor associated with chronic respiratory infections in cystic fibrosis. A cluster of three tightly linked genes. algU, mucA and mucB located at 67.5 min, controls development of mucoid phenotype. This locus is allelic with a group of mutations (muc) associated with conversion into constitutively mucoid forms. One of the genes previously characterized in this region, algU, is absolutely required for the transcriptional activation of algD, a critical event in the establishment of mucoidy. AlgU is homologous to the alternative sigma factor σ;H (Spo0H) controlling sporulation and competence in Bacillus. Two genes downstream of algU, mucA and mucB were further characterized in this study. Previous complementation studies have demonstrated that mucA is required for suppression of mucoidy in the muc-2 strain PAO568. In this work, complementation analysis indicated that, in addition. mucB was required for suppression of mucoidy in the muc-25 strain PAO581, and for enhanced complementation of the muc-2 mutation in PAO568. The complete nucleotide sequence of mucA and mucH was determined. Insertional inactivation of mucB on the chromosome of the standard genetic strain PAO resulted in mucoid phenotype, and in a strong transcriptional activation of algD. Thus, a loss of mucB function is sufficient to cause conversion of P. aeruginosa into the mucoid phenotype. Since the algU-mucA-mucB region is a general site where muc mutations have been mapped, it is likely that mucB participates in the emergence of mucoid forms. Both mucA and mucB play a regulatory role in concert with the sigma-like factor AlgU; all three genes, along with signal transduction and histone-like elements, control differentiation of P. aeruginosa into the mucoid phenotype.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 10
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: AlgR is a transcriptional regulator of mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a critical virulence factor expressed in cystic fibrosis. AlgR belongs to the superfamily of bacterial signal transduction systems, and has been shown to bind to the algD promoter, a critical point in the regulation of mucoidy. This protein, like other typical response regulators, contains highly conserved residues known to be critical for the phosphorylation and signal transduction processes. However, a typical second component Interacting with AlgR has not been identified. Here we demonstrate that AlgR undergoes phosphorylation in vitro when interacting with the well-characterized histidine protein kinase CheA. These results Indicate that AlgR is capable of undergoing phosphorylation typical of other two-component signal transduction systems. Moreover, the phosphotransfer reaction between CheA and AlgR was found to be affected by the presence of carbamoyl phosphate, acetyl phosphate, and salts of phosphoramidic acid, recently shown to act as small-molecular-weight phospho-donors in the process of phosphorylation of several response regulators. These findings suggest that AlgR may react with intermediary metabolites such as carbamoyl phosphate and acetyl phosphate, and that these processes may play a role in the control of mucoidy in P. aeruginosa.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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