title: Identification of an Escherichia coli gene homologous to virR, a regulator of Shigella virulence.
abstract: Virulence in Shigella spp., as well as in strains of enteroinvasive Escherichia coli, is regulated by growth temperature. Previously, virR had been identified as the gene controlling the temperature-regulated expression of Shigella virulence. Since Shigella spp. and E. coli are also known to share greater than 90% DNA sequence homology, we sought to determine if nonpathogenic E. coli K-12 C600 contains a gene homologous to the Shigella flexneri 2a gene virR. Through the use of transduction and molecular cloning of strain C600 chromosomal DNA we have shown that E. coli K-12 does indeed contain a gene functionally homologous to the virR of S. flexneri.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hromockyj
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Maurelli
mesh_terms: D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D012097:Repressor Proteins