The Zinc-Responsive Regulon of Neisseria meningitidis Comprises 17 Genes under Control of a Zur Element

• DOI: 10.1128/jb.01091-12
• Publication Date: 2012-10-06T05:55:38Z
• Authors: Marie-Christin Pa...; Kerstin Hubert; Biju Joseph; Heike Claus; Christoph Schoen; Ulrich Vogel
• Keywords: Regulon

Zinc is a bivalent cation essential for bacterial growth and metabolism. The human pathogen Neisseria meningitidis expresses homologue of the uptake regulator Zur, which has been postulated to repress putative zinc protein ZnuD. In this study, we elucidated transcriptome meningococci in response by microarrays quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We identified 15 genes that were repressed two activated upon addition. All transcription units (genes operons) harbored Zur binding motif their promoter regions. A meningococcal consensus (Zur box) was deduced silico, harbors conserved central palindrome consisting hexameric inverted repeats separated three nucleotides (TGTTATDNHATAACA). vitro recombinant box shown first time using electrophoretic mobility shift assays. DNA depended specifically on presence sensitive mutations palindromic sequence. regulon among unknown function comprised involved uptake, tRNA modification, ribosomal assembly. summary, study transcriptional meningococci.