Back to Search
Start Over
Regulation of OmpA Translation and Shigella dysenteriae Virulence by an RNA Thermometer
- Source :
- Infect Immun
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- RNA thermometers are cis-acting riboregulators that mediate the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression in response to environmental temperature. Such regulation is conferred by temperature-responsive structural changes within the RNA thermometer that directly result in differential ribosomal binding to the regulated transcript. The significance of RNA thermometers in controlling bacterial physiology and pathogenesis is becoming increasingly clear. This study combines in silico, molecular genetics, and biochemical analyses to characterize both the structure and function of a newly identified RNA thermometer within the ompA transcript of Shigella dysenteriae. First identified by in silico structural predictions, genetic analyses have demonstrated that the ompA RNA thermometer is a functional riboregulator sufficient to confer posttranscriptional temperature-dependent regulation, with optimal expression observed at the host-associated temperature of 37°C. Structural studies and ribosomal binding analyses have revealed both increased exposure of the ribosomal binding site and increased ribosomal binding to the ompA transcript at permissive temperatures. The introduction of site-specific mutations predicted to alter the temperature responsiveness of the ompA RNA thermometer has predictable consequences for both the structure and function of the regulatory element. Finally, in vitro tissue culture-based analyses implicate the ompA RNA thermometer as a bona fide S. dysenteriae virulence factor in this bacterial pathogen. Given that ompA is highly conserved among Gram-negative pathogens, these studies not only provide insight into the significance of riboregulation in controlling Shigella virulence, but they also have the potential to facilitate further understanding of the physiology and/or pathogenesis of a wide range of bacterial species.
- Subjects :
- Regulation of gene expression
Riboregulator
Genetics
Shigella dysenteriae
biology
Virulence
Virulence Factors
Immunology
Temperature
RNA
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
Ribosomal RNA
Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid
biology.organism_classification
Microbiology
Molecular Pathogenesis
Ribosomal binding site
RNA thermometer
RNA, Bacterial
Infectious Diseases
Regulatory sequence
Parasitology
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10985522
- Volume :
- 88
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Infection and immunity
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....f8442a4d910245099390656e30d5cecf