Hfq regulates the expression of the thermostable direct hemolysin gene in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The hfq gene is conserved in a wide variety of bacteria and Hfq is involved in many cellular functions such as stress responses and the regulation of gene expression. It has also been reported that Hfq is involved in bacterial pathogenicity. However, it is not clear whether Hfq regulates virulence in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. To evaluate this, we investigated the effect of Hfq on the expression of virulence-associated genes including thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH), which is considered to be an important virulence factor in V. parahaemolyticus, using an hfq deletion mutant.

Results

The production of TDH in the hfq deletion mutant was much higher than in the parental strain. Quantification of tdh promoter activity and mRNA demonstrated that transcription of the

SUBMITTER: Nakano M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2561041 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature