MprAB regulates the espA operon in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and modulates ESX-1 function and host cytokine response.

ABSTRACT: The ESX-1 secretion system exports the immunomodulatory protein ESAT-6 and other proteins important in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Components and substrates of ESX-1 are encoded at several loci, but the regulation of the encoding genes is only partially understood. In this study, we investigated the role of the MprAB two-component system in the regulation of ESX-1 activity. We determined that MprAB directly regulates the espA gene cluster, a locus necessary for ESX-1 function. Transcript mapping determined that the five genes in the cluster form an operon with two transcriptional start points, and several MprA binding sites were detected in the espA promoter. Expression analyses and promoter constructs indicated that MprAB represses the espA operon. However, the MprAB m

SUBMITTER: Pang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3536182 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature