title: Construction and characterization of Listeria monocytogenes mutants with in-frame deletions in the response regulator genes identified in the genome sequence.
abstract: Two-component systems are widely distributed in prokaryotes where they control gene expression in response to diverse stimuli. To study the role of the sixteen putative two-component systems of Listeria monocytogenes systematically, in frame deletions were introduced into 15 out of the 16 response regulator genes and the resulting mutants were characterized. With one exception the deletion of the individual response regulator genes has only minor effects on in vitro and in vivo growth of the bacteria. The mutant carrying a deletion in the ortholog of the Bacillus subtilis response regulator gene degU showed a clearly reduced virulence in mice, indicating that DegU is involved in the regulation of virulence-associated genes.
authors.affiliation: Kompetenzzentrum PathoGenoMik, Theodor Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften der Universität Würzburg Biozentrum, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beier
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuhn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019556:COS Cells; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C066497:DegU protein, Bacteria