title: Blue-light-activated histidine kinases: two-component sensors in bacteria.
abstract: Histidine kinases, used for environmental sensing by bacterial two-component systems, are involved in regulation of bacterial gene expression, chemotaxis, phototaxis, and virulence. Flavin-containing domains function as light-sensory modules in plant and algal phototropins and in fungal blue-light receptors. We have discovered that the prokaryotes Brucella melitensis, Brucella abortus, Erythrobacter litoralis, and Pseudomonas syringae contain light-activated histidine kinases that bind a flavin chromophore and undergo photochemistry indicative of cysteinyl-flavin adduct formation. Infection of macrophages by B. abortus was stimulated by light in the wild type but was limited in photochemically inactive and null mutants, indicating that the flavin-containing histidine kinase functions as a photoreceptor regulating B. abortus virulence.
authors: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
authors: Trevor E
authors: TE
authors: Swartz
authors: Tong-Seung
authors: TS
authors: Tseng
authors: Marcus A
authors: MA
authors: Frederickson
authors: Gastón
authors: G
authors: Paris
authors: Diego J
authors: DJ
authors: Comerci
authors: Gireesh
authors: G
authors: Rajashekara
authors: Jung-Gun
authors: JG
authors: Kim
authors: Mary Beth
authors: MB
authors: Mudgett
authors: Gary A
authors: GA
authors: Splitter
authors: Rodolfo A
authors: RA
authors: Ugalde
authors: Fernando A
authors: FA
authors: Goldbaum
authors: Winslow R
authors: WR
authors: Briggs
authors: Roberto A
authors: RA
authors: Bogomolni
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000201:enzymology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005486:Flavin Mononucleotide / Q000378:metabolism; D000071677:Histidine Kinase; D008027:Light; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010777:Photochemistry; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D044224:Pseudomonas syringae / Q000201:enzymology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D042301:Sphingomonadaceae / Q000201:enzymology*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D005486:Flavin Mononucleotide; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D011494:Protein Kinases; D000071677:Histidine Kinase