title: The uvrA gene is involved in oxidative and acid stress responses in Lactobacillus helveticus CNBL1156.
abstract: The uvrA gene of Lactobacillus helveticus CNBL1156 coding for subunit A of the excinuclease ABC complex involved in the nucleotide excision repair mechanism was identified. Analysis of the uvrA locus revealed the presence of three open reading frames, merR, sat and uvrA, which coded respectively for a MerR-like regulatory protein, a putative protein with homology to streptothricin acetyl transferase and for a UvrA protein. RNA analysis by northern blotting and RT-PCR showed that sat and uvrA were transcriptionally coupled. UvrA from L. helveticus contained the conserved domains of bacterial excinuclease A, as well as the two ATP binding sites and the zinc binding domains. The transcriptional activity of uvrA indicated that this gene was activated by exposure to UV radiation and oxidative stress. In addition, we observed that the expression of uvrA was inducible by pH; moreover, the role of UvrA in protection against stress was confirmed by acid adaptation experiments. Pretreatment of cells at pH 5 conferred resistance to H2O2, suggesting a specific adaptive response to pH-induced DNA damage. The results from this study indicate that UvrA contributes to acid and oxidative tolerance in L. helveticus, and suggest that it plays a role in survival at low pH under normal conditions.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, via Emilia Parmense 84, 29100 Piacenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cappa
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cattivelli
authors.forename: Pier Sandro
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Cocconcelli
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D052198:Lactobacillus helveticus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases