title: Molecular characterization of transcriptional regulation of rovA by PhoP and RovA in Yersinia pestis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of plague. The two transcriptional regulators, PhoP and RovA, are required for the virulence of Y. pestis through the regulation of various virulence-associated loci. They are the global regulators controlling two distinct large complexes of cellular pathways.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the LacZ fusion, primer extension, gel mobility shift, and DNase I footprinting assays, RovA is shown to recognize both of the two promoters of its gene in Y. pestis. The autoregulation of RovA appears to be a conserved mechanism shared by Y. pestis and its closely related progenitor, Y. pseudotuberculosis. In Y. pestis, the PhoP regulator responds to low magnesium signals and then negatively controls only one of the two promoters of rovA through PhoP-promoter DNA association.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RovA is a direct transcriptional activator for its own gene in Y. pestis, while PhoP recognizes the promoter region of rovA to repress its transcription. The direct regulatory association between PhoP and RovA bridges the PhoP and RovA regulons in Y. pestis.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yiquan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Yafang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Zhaobiao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Dongsheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ruifu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018983:DNA Footprinting; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D011485:Protein Binding; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018085:Regulon / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C405626:RovA protein, Yersinia; D014157:Transcription Factors; C061064:PhoP protein, Bacteria