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PMID: 9260962 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Role of mga in growth phase regulation of virulence genes of the group A streptococcus.

Journal of bacteriology ·Vol. 179 ·No. 16 ·1997-08-00 ·Pages 5178-87

McIver KS, Scott JR

Abstract

To determine whether growth phase affects the expression of mga and other virulence-associated genes in the group A streptococcus (GAS), total RNA was isolated from the serotype M6 GAS strain JRS4 at different phases of growth and transcript levels were quantitated by hybridization with radiolabeled DNA probes. Expression of mga (which encodes a multiple gene regulator) and the Mga-regulated genes emm (which encodes M protein) and scpA (which encodes a complement C5a peptidase) was found to be maximal in exponential phase and shut off as the bacteria entered stationary phase, while the housekeeping genes recA and rpsL showed constant transcript levels over the same period of growth. Expression of mga from a foreign phage promoter in a mga-deleted GAS strain (JRS519) altered the wild-type growth phase-dependent transcription profile seen for emm and scpA, as well as for mga. Therefore, the temporal control of mga expression requires its upstream promoter region, and the subsequent growth phase regulation of emm and scpA is Mga dependent. A number of putative virulence genes in JRS4 were shown not to require Mga for their expression, although several exhibited growth phase-dependent regulation that was similar to mga, i.e., slo (which encodes streptolysin O) and plr (encoding the plasmin receptor/glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase). Still others showed a markedly different pattern of expression (the genes for the superantigen toxins MF and SpeC). These results suggest the existence of complex levels of global regulation sensitive to growth phase that directly control the expression of virulence genes and mga in GAS.

MeSH Terms
Adhesins, Bacterial Antigens, Bacterial Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins Bacterial Proteins/genetics,physiology Carrier Proteins Endopeptidases/genetics Gene Deletion Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial Promoter Regions, Genetic Regulon Streptococcus pyogenes/genetics,growth & development,pathogenicity Virulence/genetics
Chemicals
Adhesins, Bacterial Antigens, Bacterial Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins Bacterial Proteins Carrier Proteins streptococcal M protein mry protein, Streptococcus pyogenes Endopeptidases C5a peptidase
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
McIver K S
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University Health Sciences Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
Scott J R
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Article Info
Journal
Journal of bacteriology
Abbr.
J Bacteriol
ISSN
0021-9193
DOI
10.1128/jb.179.16.5178-5187.1997
Published
1997-08-00
Pages
5178-87
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
2985120R
PMCID
PMC179378
Subset
IM
Grants
NIAID NIH HHS · AI09460 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI20723 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/jb.179.16.5178-5187.1997 PMC Full Text View journal details
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