The Escherichia coli rpoS-dependent htrC gene is not involved in the heat shock response.
We found that a new mutant with a deletion/replacement of the Escherichia coli K-12 htrC gene, a gene previously reported to be required for growth at elevated temperatures, is not temperature sensitive. Furthermore, the original mutants, kindly provided by the original authors, although temperature sensitive, do not have mutations in the open reading frame designated htrC. We found that htrC requires RpoS for enhanced expression in the early stationary phase and is expressed at very low levels until then. The growth of our htrC mutant slowed during the early stationary phase, and the mutant was replaced by its parent in mixed cultures. Since we cannot assign a function or distinctive phenotype to htrC, we suggest that this open reading frame should be given a positional designation, yjaZ, until a specific function is identified.
Thacker
Zubin
Z
University of Edinburgh, School of Biology, King's Building, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, Scotland.
Darmon
Elise
E
Keppel
France
F
Masters
Millicent
M
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D048168:Escherichia coli K12 / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D009154:Mutation; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D012808:Sigma Factor; C069567:sigma factor KatF protein, Bacteria