title: Genome-wide characterization of monomeric transcriptional regulators in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: Gene transcription catalysed by RNA polymerase is regulated by transcriptional regulators, which play central roles in the control of gene transcription in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. In regulating gene transcription, many regulators form dimers that bind to DNA with repeated motifs. However, some regulators function as monomers, but their mechanisms of gene expression control are largely uncharacterized. Here we systematically characterized monomeric versus dimeric regulators in the tuberculosis causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Of the >160 transcriptional regulators annotated in M. tuberculosis, 154 transcriptional regulators were tested, 22 % probably act as monomers and most are annotated as hypothetical regulators. Notably, all members of the WhiB-like protein family are classified as monomers. To further investigate mechanisms of monomeric regulators, we analysed the actions of these WhiB proteins and found that the majority interact with the principal sigma factor σA, which is also a monomeric protein within the RNA polymerase holoenzyme. Taken together, our study for the first time globally classified monomeric regulators in M. tuberculosis and suggested a mechanism for monomeric regulators in controlling gene transcription through interacting with monomeric sigma factors.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PRChina.
authors.forename: Lipeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PRChina.
authors.forename: Zhenkang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PRChina.
authors.forename: Zhongwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PRChina.
authors.forename: Yangbo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, PRChina.
authors.forename: Shiyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D055503:Protein Multimerization / Q000235:genetics; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012808:Sigma Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; C574744:WhiB1 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases