title: Phenotypic and transcriptional analysis of the osmotic regulator OmpR in Yersinia pestis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The osmotic regulator OmpR in Escherichia coli regulates differentially the expression of major porin proteins OmpF and OmpC. In Yersinia enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis, OmpR is required for both virulence and survival within macrophages. However, the phenotypic and regulatory roles of OmpR in Y. pestis are not yet fully understood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Y. pestis OmpR is involved in building resistance against phagocytosis and controls the adaptation to various stressful conditions met in macrophages. The ompR mutation likely did not affect the virulence of Y. pestis strain 201 that was a human-avirulent enzootic strain. The microarray-based comparative transcriptome analysis disclosed a set of 224 genes whose expressions were affected by the ompR mutation, indicating the global regulatory role of OmpR in Y. pestis. Real-time RT-PCR or lacZ fusion reporter assay further validated 16 OmpR-dependent genes, for which OmpR consensus-like sequences were found within their upstream DNA regions. ompC, F, X, and R were up-regulated dramatically with the increase of medium osmolarity, which was mediated by OmpR occupying the target promoter regions in a tandem manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OmpR contributes to the resistance against phagocytosis or survival within macrophages, which is conserved in the pathogenic yersiniae. Y. pestis OmpR regulates ompC, F, X, and R directly through OmpR-promoter DNA association. There is an inducible expressions of the pore-forming proteins OmpF, C, and × at high osmolarity in Y. pestis, in contrast to the reciprocal regulation of them in E. coli. The main difference is that ompF expression is not repressed at high osmolarity in Y. pestis, which is likely due to the absence of a promoter-distal OmpR-binding site for ompF.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, PR China.
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yiquan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhaobiao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yafang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Xinxiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Dongsheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ruifu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010587:Phagocytosis; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D015534:Trans-Activators; C112177:osmolarity response regulator proteins