A Cyanophage MarR-Type Transcription Factor Regulates Host RNase E Expression during Infection.

ABSTRACT: The marine picocyanobacterium Prochlorococcus contributes significantly to global primary production, and its abundance and diversity is shaped in part by viral infection. Here, we identified a cyanophage-encoded MarR-type transcription factor that induces the gene expression of host Prochlorococcus MED4 endoribonuclease (RNase) E during phage infection. The increase in rne transcript levels relies on the phage (p)MarR-mediated activation of an alternative promoter that gives rise to a truncated yet enzymatically fully functional RNase E isoform. In this study, we demonstrate that pMarR binds to an atypical activator site downstream of the transcriptional start site and that binding is enhanced in the presence of Ca²⁺ ions. Furthermore, we show that dimeric

SUBMITTER: Lambrecht SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9692554 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature