title: Killing two birds with one stone: an ABC transporter regulates gene expression through sequestration of a transcriptional regulator at the membrane.
abstract: Transcriptional regulators are controlled through various, mostly well-understood, principles. In the study of Richet et al., published in this issue of Molecular Microbiology, fluorescence microscopy was used to uncover an unorthodox mechanism that relies on the dynamic shuttling of a gene regulator between the membrane and the chromosome. When not occupied with transport, the maltose-specific ABC transporter sequesters and thereby inactivates its cognate transcriptional regulator MalT. Upon maltose transport, MalT is released from the membrane and activates the maltose utilization and transport genes. This mechanism prevents induction of MalT by endogenously produced maltotriose, which is the inducer. Thus, the maltose uptake system is a trigger transporter with a bi-functional role in transport and regulation.
authors: Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, Grisebachstrasse 8, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. bgoerke@gwdg.de
authors: Boris
authors: B
authors: Görke
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C058976:MalT protein, E coli; D014157:Transcription Factors; C461599:maltose transport system, E coli