title: The pir gene of Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16 regulates hyperinduction of pectate lyase virulence genes in response to plant signals.
abstract: The plant pathogenic bacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi secretes pectate lyase proteins that are important virulence factors attacking the cell walls of plant hosts. Bacterial production of these enzymes is induced by the substrate polypectate-Na (NaPP) and further stimulated by the presence of plant extracts. The bacterial regulator responsible for induction by plant extracts was identified and purified by using a DNA-binding assay with the promoter region of pelE that encodes a major pectate lyase. A novel bacterial protein, called Pir, was isolated that produced a specific gel shift of the pelE promoter DNA, and the corresponding pir gene was cloned and sequenced. The Pir protein contains 272 amino acids with a molecular mass of 30 kDa and appears to function as a dimer. A homology search indicates that Pir belongs to the IclR family of transcriptional regulators. Pir bound to a 35-bp DNA sequence in the promoter region of pelE. This site overlaps that of a previously described negative regulator, KdgR. Gel shift experiments showed that the binding of either Pir or KdgR interfered with binding of the other protein.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Shizuoka University, 836 Ohya, Shizuoka 422-8529 Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nasser
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawagishi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuyumu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000382:microbiology; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016974:Dickeya chrysanthemi / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology; D011133:Polysaccharide-Lyases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; C045264:replication initiator protein; D004265:DNA Helicases; C097529:PelE protein, Erwinia chrysanthemi; D011133:Polysaccharide-Lyases