title: Supportive and inhibitory elements of a putative PrfA-dependent promoter in Listeria monocytogenes.
abstract: Elements essential for PrfA-dependent transcription were analysed on two promoters of Listeria monocytogenes, the PrfA-dependent promoter of the phospholipase gene plcA (PplcA) and a putative promoter of the aroA gene (ParoA2) which contains a similar PrfA-binding site and a similar -10 box as PplcA but does not function as PrfA-dependent promoter. We constructed a series of hybrid plcA-aroA promoters by exchanging corresponding sequence elements of these two 'promoters'. The results showed that the two critical elements of PrfA-dependent promoters, the PrfA-box and the -10 box, can be functionally exchanged as long as the distance in between is maintained to 22 or 23 bp. However, the interspace sequence and the sequence downstream of the -10 box of ParoA2 were strongly inhibitory for PrfA-dependent transcription. A detailed analysis of these two sequences revealed that the RNA polymerase binding site being part of the actual in vivo and in vitro used aroA promoter (ParoA1) and a sequence immediately downstream of the putative -10 site, possibly blocking the formation of the open complex, were responsible for the inhibition of PrfA-dependent transcription from ParoA2. Taking into consideration the lessons learned from this study we were able to construct a functional PrfA-dependent aroA promoter.
authors.affiliation: Biocenter (Microbiology), University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herler
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Müller-Altrock
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Goebel
mesh_terms: D051229:3-Phosphoshikimate 1-Carboxyvinyltransferase; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000235:genetics*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; D051229:3-Phosphoshikimate 1-Carboxyvinyltransferase; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases