OmpR regulation of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli fimB gene in an acidic/high osmolality environment

• DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.059386-0
• Publication Date: 2012-11-23T06:11:00Z
• Authors: Ann E. Rentschler; Steven D. Lovrich; Robert Fitton; Jodi Enos-Berlage; William R. Schwan
• Keywords: Transcription

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) causes more than 90 % of all human urinary tract infections through type 1 piliated UPEC cells binding to bladder epithelial cells. The FimB and FimE site-specific recombinases orient the fimS element containing fimA structural gene promoter. Regulation fimB fimE depends on environmental pH osmolality. EnvZ/OmpR two-component system affects osmoregulation in E. coli. To ascertain if OmpR directly regulated promoters, gel mobility shift DNase I footprinting experiments were performed using or phosphorylated (OmpR-P) mixed with promoter regions strain NU149. Both OmpR-P bound weakly one Because there was weak promoter, NU149 grown different osmolality environments, total RNAs extracted from each population converted cDNAs. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR showed no differences ompR transcription among growth conditions. Conversely, Western blots a significant increase protein combined low pH/high environment versus neutral environment. In high environment, mutant expressed transcripts Phase-ON positioning as well higher pili levels wild-type Together these results suggest that may be post-transcriptionally growing which regulates UPEC.