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Identification of Fur regulated genes in the bacterial fish pathogen Photobacterium damselae ssp. piscicida using the Fur titration assay

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Abstract

Bacteria have developed a series of iron-scavenging and transport systems. The expression of many of the iron utilization genes is tightly regulated by the Fe2+ loaded Fur repressor protein. In this study, the Fur titration assay (FURTA) was used to screen for DNA fragments from a genomic DNA library of Photobacterium damselae ssp. piscicida containing potential Fe2 +Fur binding sites or iron binding-proteins which withdraw iron from Fur. One of the clones encoded a tonB gene and adjacent a functionally related exbB gene. An additional and complete tonB exbB exbD gene cluster was identified and sequenced. A gene homologous to the ferritin gene was found whose FURTA-positive phenotype may be explained by its iron-binding ability. Genes encoding a putative complete iron-regulated outer membrane transport protein and a pseudogene of a transport protein were found. The FURTA assay also revealed iron regulation of the AraC type transcriptional regulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Instituto de Acuicultura, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain

    Carlos R. Osorio & Manuel L. Lemos

  2. Mikrobiologie/Membranphysiologie, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Carlos R. Osorio & Volkmar Braun

Authors
  1. Carlos R. Osorio
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  2. Manuel L. Lemos
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  3. Volkmar Braun
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Osorio, C.R., Lemos, M.L. & Braun, V. Identification of Fur regulated genes in the bacterial fish pathogen Photobacterium damselae ssp. piscicida using the Fur titration assay. Biometals 17, 725–733 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-004-1652-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-004-1652-7

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