title: OxyR acts as a repressor of catalase expression in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
abstract: It has been reported that Neisseria gonorrhoeae possesses a very high level of catalase activity, but the regulation of catalase expression has not been investigated extensively. In Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, it has been demonstrated that OxyR is a positive regulator of hydrogen peroxide-inducible genes, including the gene encoding catalase. The oxyR gene from N. gonorrhoeae was cloned and used to complement an E. coli oxyR mutant, confirming its identity and function. The gene was inactivated by inserting a kanamycin resistance cassette and used to make a knockout allele on the chromosome of N. gonorrhoeae strain 1291. In contrast to E. coli, the N. gonorrhoeae oxyR::kan mutant expressed ninefold-more catalase activity and was more resistant to hydrogen peroxide killing than the wild type. These data are consistent with OxyR in N. gonorrhoeae acting as a repressor of catalase expression.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Metals in Biology and Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Hsing-Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Alastair G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: McEwan
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Apicella
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Jennings
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C499299:oxyR protein, E coli; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D002374:Catalase