title: Regulation of Lactobacillus casei sorbitol utilization genes requires DNA-binding transcriptional activator GutR and the conserved protein GutM.
abstract: Sequence analysis of the five genes (gutRMCBA) downstream from the previously described sorbitol-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-encoding Lactobacillus casei gutF gene revealed that they constitute a sorbitol (glucitol) utilization operon. The gutRM genes encode putative regulators, while the gutCBA genes encode the EIIC, EIIBC, and EIIA proteins of a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sorbitol phosphotransferase system (PTS(Gut)). The gut operon is transcribed as a polycistronic gutFRMCBA messenger, the expression of which is induced by sorbitol and repressed by glucose. gutR encodes a transcriptional regulator with two PTS-regulated domains, a galactitol-specific EIIB-like domain (EIIB(Gat) domain) and a mannitol/fructose-specific EIIA-like domain (EIIA(Mtl) domain). Its inactivation abolished gut operon transcription and sorbitol uptake, indicating that it acts as a transcriptional activator. In contrast, cells carrying a gutB mutation expressed the gut operon constitutively, but they failed to transport sorbitol, indicating that EIIBC(Gut) negatively regulates GutR. A footprint analysis showed that GutR binds to a 35-bp sequence upstream from the gut promoter. A sequence comparison with the presumed promoter region of gut operons from various firmicutes revealed a GutR consensus motif that includes an inverted repeat. The regulation mechanism of the L. casei gut operon is therefore likely to be operative in other firmicutes. Finally, gutM codes for a conserved protein of unknown function present in all sequenced gut operons. A gutM mutant, the first constructed in a firmicute, showed drastically reduced gut operon expression and sorbitol uptake, indicating a regulatory role also for GutM.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Bacterias Lácticas y Probióticos, IATA-CSIC, P.O. Box 73, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. yebra@iata.csic.es.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alcántara
authors.forename: Luz Adriana
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sarmiento-Rubiano
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Monedero
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deutscher
authors.forename: Gaspar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pérez-Martínez
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Yebra
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D018983:DNA Footprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D010957:Plasmids; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D013012:Sorbitol; D005947:Glucose