Transcriptional and posttranscriptional control of cable pilus gene expression in Burkholderia cenocepacia.

ABSTRACT: Burkholderia cenocepacia is an important member of the Burkholderia cepacia complex, a group of closely related bacteria that inhabits a wide variety of environmental niches in nature and that also colonizes the lungs of compromised humans. Certain strains of B. cenocepacia express peritrichous adherence organelles known as cable pili, thought to be important in the colonization of the lower respiratory tract. The genetic locus required for cable pilus biogenesis is comprised of at least five genes, designated cblB, cblA, cblC, cblD, and cblS. In this study a transcriptional analysis of cbl gene expression was undertaken. The principal promoter, located upstream of the cbl locus, was identified and characterized. By using lacZ transcriptional fusions, the effects of multiple environmental

SUBMITTER: Tomich M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC344204 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature