title: Chromobacterium violaceum adaptation to low-phosphate conditions.
abstract: Chromobacterium violaceum is a free-living bacterium that inhabits low-nutrient environments such as the Amazon basin. Bacteria respond to phosphate (Pi) shortage by expressing a range of genes involved in Pi uptake and assimilation, known as the PHO regulon. Several PHO regulon genes have been annotated in the genome of C. violaceum. Here we show that C. violaceum is extremely well adapted to low-Pi conditions. Remarkably, this bacterium is able to grow in media containing only traces of Pi. The PHO regulon genes are induced upon Pi depletion, but the bacteria continued to grow under these conditions. Unlike other Proteobacteria hitherto analyzed, neither PstS nor PhoU play a role in the repression of the PHO regulon under Pi excess.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05508-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda Nogales
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: da Costa Vasconcelos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05508-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05508-900, Brazil. benys@usp.br.
authors.forename: Beny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spira
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D002861:Chromobacterium / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism*; D018085:Regulon / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D010710:Phosphates
keywords: Chromobacterium violaceum; Nutritional stress; PHO regulon; Phosphate; pst operon