title: The Pseudomonas aeruginosa AmrZ C-terminal domain mediates tetramerization and is required for its activator and repressor functions.
abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important bacterial opportunistic pathogen, presenting a significant threat towards individuals with underlying diseases such as cystic fibrosis. The transcription factor AmrZ regulates expression of multiple P. aeruginosa virulence factors. AmrZ belongs to the ribbon-helix-helix protein superfamily, in which many members function as dimers, yet others form higher order oligomers. In this study, four independent approaches were undertaken and demonstrated that the primary AmrZ form in solution is tetrameric. Deletion of the AmrZ C-terminal domain leads to loss of tetramerization and reduced DNA binding to both activated and repressed target promoters. Additionally, the C-terminal domain is essential for efficient AmrZ-mediated activation and repression of its targets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.|Center for Microbial Interface Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Binjie
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9652-7813
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.affiliation: Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Randal J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Soukup
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Ramsey
authors.affiliation: Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fishel
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Vicki H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Wysocki
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.|Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.|Center for Microbial Interface Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wozniak
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D011485:Protein Binding; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D014157:Transcription Factors; D037521:Virulence Factors