title: Characterization of a large motility gene cluster containing the cheR, motAB genes of Listeria monocytogenes and evidence that PrfA downregulates motility genes.
abstract: Through the analysis of a non-motile mutant of Listeria monocytogenes, we identified and characterized a locus containing the cheR, motA and motB genes. These three genes are homologous to the cheR, and motA/B genes of Bacillus subtilis which in this organism are 954 kb apart. The gene organization in Listeria is also not similar either to that of Escherichia coli in which cheR and motAB are 5.9 kb apart. CheR and motA/B, as previously reported for flaA, the flagellin gene, are thermoregulated with a higher expression at 25 degrees C and low expression at 37 degrees C. In a delta prfA strain, motA expression was derepressed at 37 degrees C, suggesting that PrfA, the transcriptional activator of virulence genes, downregulates motility genes in Listeria at 37 degrees C.
authors.affiliation: Unité des Interactions Bactéries-Cellules, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mengaud
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galsworthy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cossart
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005408:Flagellin / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009068:Movement; D009154:Mutation; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; C063010:MotA protein, Bacteria; C064779:MotB protein, Bacteria; D005408:Flagellin