1887

Abstract

is a two-component signal transduction system in that regulates the expression of many virulence factors at the transcriptional level and appears to act synergistically with in some cases. In this study, the interactions between and have been characterized in some detail. It was found that the locus is larger and more complex than originally envisioned, in that it is expressed from several promoters, giving rise to four or five transcripts, at least three of which are initiated upstream of and contain two additional reading frames, here designated and , which are likely to have important roles in function. The upstream transcripts are induced during exponential phase concomitantly with the onset of RNAIII synthesis and their induction requires the effector, RNAIII, but is blocked by several environmental signals that override the effects of RNAIII. is also required for the induction of these transcripts, so that the locus contains an autoinduction circuit. It is suggested that is downstream of in the exoprotein activation pathway (and also epistatic with ), that it coordinates the effects of environmental signals with the quorum-sensing system, and therefore that it is a key intermediary in the overall regulatory strategy by which senses and responds to its environment.

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2003-10-01
2024-03-28
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