title: Regulation of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 gene in Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus produces various proteins in response to discrete signals from the external environment like many other pathogenic microorganisms. Certain staphylococcal exoproteins including toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) are secreted according to the stimuli from the environment, and the quantity synthesized is influenced by a number of different parameters. Using a transposon Tn551-mediated mutagenesis, a mutant (RN 6390) defective in TSST-1 from synthesis was constructed. TSST-1 from wild strain and mutant stain were purified and quantitated from culture supernatants of Staphylococcus aureus. The mutant strain RN 6390 produced only 2% of TSST-1 compared with that produced by the wild strain RN4282. Southern blot hybridization with a tst (TSST-1 gene) probe indicated that the inactivated chromosomal locus is distinct from the tst. These results suggest that transposition by Tn551 inactivated a chromosomal locus whose activity was essential for the expression of the TSST-1 gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Soon Chun Hyang University, Asan, Korea.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D006801:Humans; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D010641:Phenotype; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000209:etiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D018089:Superantigens; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D017931:DNA Primers; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004768:Enterotoxins; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal