The highly conserved Escherichia coli transcription factor YhaJ regulates aromatic compound degradation

Palevsky, N., Shemer, B., Connolly, J. and Belkin, S. (2016) The highly conserved Escherichia coli transcription factor YhaJ regulates aromatic compound degradation. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, 1490. (doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01490) (PMID:27713734) (PMCID:PMC5031710)

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Abstract

The aromatic compound 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), a common impurity in 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) production, has been suggested as a tracer for the presence of TNT-based landmines due to its stability and high volatility. We have previously described an Escherichia coli bioreporter capable of detecting the presence of DNT vapors, harboring a fusion of the yqjF gene promoter to a reporter element. However, the DNT metabolite which is the direct inducer of yqjF, has not yet been identified, nor has the regulatory mechanism of the induction been clarified. We demonstrate here that the YhaJ protein, a member of the LysR type family, acts as a transcriptional regulator of yqjF activation, as well as of a panel of additional E. coli genes. This group of genes share a common sequence motif in their promoters, which is suggested here as a putative YhaJ-box. In addition, we have linked YhaJ to the regulation of quinol-like compound degradation in the cell, and identified yhaK as playing a role in the degradation of DNT.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Research was supported in part by the Minerva Center for Bio-Hybrid Complex Systems.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Connolly, Dr James
Authors: Palevsky, N., Shemer, B., Connolly, J., and Belkin, S.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
Journal Name:Frontiers in Microbiology
Publisher:Frontiers Media
ISSN:1664-302X
ISSN (Online):1664-302X
Published Online:22 September 2016
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2016 The Authors
First Published:First published in Frontiers in Microbiology 7:1490
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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