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Volume 158, Issue 3

The stationary phase sigma factor, RpoS, regulates the production of a carbapenem antibiotic, a bioactive prodigiosin and virulence in the enterobacterial pathogen sp. ATCC 39006 Free

Abstract

sp. ATCC 39006 (S39006) is a Gram-negative bacterium that is virulent in plant (potato) and invertebrate animal () models. It produces two secondary metabolite antibiotics, a prodigiosin and a carbapenem, and the exoenzymes pectate lyase and cellulase. We showed previously that deletion of the RNA chaperone Hfq abolished antibiotic production and attenuated virulence in both animal and plant hosts. Hfq and dependent small RNAs (sRNAs) are known to regulate the post-transcriptional expression of , which encodes σ, the stationary phase sigma factor subunit of RNA polymerase. An S39006 deletion mutant showed decreased transcript levels of . Therefore, in this study we investigated whether the phenotypes regulated by Hfq were mediated through its control of . Whereas loss of Hfq abolished prodigiosin and carbapenem production and attenuated virulence in both and potato, characterization of an S39006 mutant showed unexpectedly elevated prodigiosin and carbapenem production. Furthermore, the mutant exhibited attenuated animal pathogenesis, but not plant pathogenesis. Additionally, a homologue of the Hfq-dependent sRNA, RprA, was identified and shown to regulate prodigiosin production in a manner consistent with its role in positively regulating translation of mRNA. Combined, these results demonstrate that Hfq regulation of secondary metabolism and plant pathogenesis is independent of RpoS and establishes RpoS and RprA as regulators of antibiotic production.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
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  • Published Online:
© 2012 SGM
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2012-03-01
2024-04-19
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The stationary phase sigma factor, RpoS, regulates the production of a carbapenem antibiotic, a bioactive prodigiosin and virulence in the enterobacterial pathogen Serratia sp. ATCC 39006
Microbiology 158, 648 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.055780-0
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.055780-0
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