title: Analysis of three clustered polygalacturonase genes in Erwinia chrysanthemi 3937 revealed an anti-repressor function for the PecS regulator.
abstract: Erwinia chrysanthemi 3937 secretes an arsenal of pectinolytic enzymes including several pectate lyases encoded by the pel genes. We characterized a novel cluster of pectinolytic genes consisting of the three adjacent genes pehV, pehW and pehX, whose products have polygalacturonase activity. The high similarity between the three genes suggests that they result from duplication of an ancestral gene. The transcription of pehV, pehW and pehX is dependent on several environmental conditions. They are induced by pectin catabolic products and this induction results from inactivation of the KdgR repressor which controls almost all the steps of pectin catabolism. The presence of calcium ions strongly reduced the transcription of the three peh genes. Their expression was also affected by growth phase, osmolarity, oxygen limitation and nitrogen starvation. In addition, the pehX transcription is affected by catabolite repression and controlled by the activator protein CRP. PecS, which was initially isolated as a repressor of virulence factors, acts as an activator of the peh transcription. We showed that the three regulators KdgR, PecS and CRP act by direct interaction with the promoter regions of the peh genes. Analysis of simultaneous binding of KdgR, PecS, CRP and RNA polymerase indicated that the activator effect of PecS results from a competition between PecS and KdgR for the occupation of overlapping binding sites. Thus, to activate peh transcription, PecS behaves as an anti-repressor against KdgR.
authors.affiliation: Unité Microbiologie et Génétique - composante INSA, UMR INSA-UCB-CNRS 5577, Bat 406, INSA, 20, Avenue Albert Einstein, F-69621 Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nasser
authors.forename: V E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Shevchik
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hugouvieux-Cotte-Pattat
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D002373:Cyclic AMP Receptor Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D016974:Dickeya chrysanthemi / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D011096:Polygalacturonase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D011133:Polysaccharide-Lyases / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D002373:Cyclic AMP Receptor Protein; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C098628:KdgR protein, Erwinia chrysanthemi; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C088080:pecS protein, Erwinia chrysanthemi; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D011096:Polygalacturonase; C065616:exo-poly-alpha-galacturonosidase; D011133:Polysaccharide-Lyases; C023911:pectate lyase