Inactivation of ompR promotes precocious swarming and flhDC expression in Xenorhabdus nematophila.
The response regulator OmpR is involved in numerous adaptive responses to environmental challenges. The role that OmpR plays in swarming behavior and swarm-cell differentiation in the symbiotic-pathogenic bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila was examined in this study. Swarming began 4 h sooner in an ompR mutant strain than in wild-type cells. Precocious swarming was correlated with elevated expression of fliC, early flagellation, and cell elongation. The level of flhDC mRNA was elevated during the early period of swarming in the ompR strain relative to the level in the wild type. These findings show that OmpR is involved in the temporal regulation of flhDC expression and flagellum production and demonstrate that this response regulator plays a role in the swarming behavior of X. nematophila.
Kim
Dong-jin
DJ
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA.
Boylan
Brian
B
George
Nicholas
N
Forst
Steven
S
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005407:Flagella / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D009154:Mutation; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020593:Xenorhabdus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; C090552:flhC protein, E coli; C090553:flhD protein, E coli; C112177:osmolarity response regulator proteins