title: Transcriptional regulation in the Chlamydia trachomatis pCT plasmid.
abstract: We have analyzed transcriptional regulation of the chlamydial plasmid pCT. Transcription of a full-length 2.9-kb ORF1-ORF2 mRNA is likely to be regulated by the sigma 66 transcription factor which recognizes the TATAAT and TNGNCA sequences at the -10 and -35 DNA regions, respectively. RNA synthesis starts 39 nucleotides (nt) upstream from the ATG start codon of ORF1 and terminates within the downstream ORF3 DNA region. A 2.8-kb transcript transverses the ORF3-6 DNA region, while two transcripts of 2.2 and 1.9 kb cover the ORF4-6 DNA region. These mRNAs overlap two abundant transcripts which regulate the expression of the ORF3 and ORF4 genes. The accumulation of transcripts associated with these ORFs is likely to be regulated at the level of RNA synthesis by an unknown sigma factor which could select the RTTTAAA and TTYTTR sequences located at the -10 and -35 DNA regions, respectively. This new promoter consensus sequence could be unique to the gene expression machinery of Chlamydiae.
authors.affiliation: Immunobiological Research Institute Siena (I.R.I.S.), Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ratti
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scarlato
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000235:genetics*; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012808:Sigma Factor; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases