title: The cryptic general secretory pathway (gsp) operon of Escherichia coli K-12 encodes functional proteins.
abstract: Systematic sequencing of the Escherichia coli K-12 chromosome (GenBank entry U18997) has revealed the presence of an apparently complete operon of genes (the gspC-0 operon) similar to genes coding for components of the main terminal branch of the general secretory pathway (e.g., the Klebsiella oxytoca pulC-0 pullulanase secretion operon) and to related genes required for type IV pilus biogenesis. For example, the last gene in the gsp operon, gspO (formerly hopD), encodes a protein which is similar to several type IV prepilin peptidases. Expression of gspO from lacZp promotes cleavage of two known prepilin peptidase substrates in E. coli K-12: Neisseria gonorrhoeae type IV prepilin and K. oxytoca prePulG protein. gspO also complements a mutation in the corresponding gene (pulO) of the pullulanase secretion operon when it is expressed from lacZp. Another gene in the gsp operon, gspG (formerly hopG), encodes a protein similar to prePulG, a component of the pullulanase secretion pathway. Expression of gspG from lacZp leads to production of a protein which (i) is recognized by PulG-specific antiserum (and by antiserum against the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PulG homolog XcpG [formerly XcpT]), (ii) is processed in cells expressing gspO, and (iii) restores secretion in cells carrying a pulG mutation. The chromosomal copies of gspG and gspO are apparently not expressed, probably because of very weak transcription from the upstream region, as measured by using a chromosomal gspC-lacZ operon fusion. Thus, the gsp operon of E. coli K-12 includes at least two functional genes which, together with the rest of the operon, are probably not expressed under laboratory conditions.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Génétique Moléculaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité de Recherche Associée 1149, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Francetic
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Pugsley
mesh_terms: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; C100181:pullulanase; D010450:Endopeptidases