FNR-mediated regulation of bioluminescence and anaerobic respiration in the light-organ symbiontVibrio fischeri
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: Vibrio fischeri induces both anaerobic respiration and bioluminescence during symbiotic infection. In many bacteria, the oxygen-sensitive regulator FNR activates anaerobic respiration, and a preliminary study using the light-generating lux genes from V. fischeri MJ1 cloned in Escherichia coli suggested that FNR stimulates bioluminescence. To test for FNR-mediated regulation of bioluminescence and anaerobic respiration in V. fischeri, we generated fnr mutants of V. fischeri strains MJ1 and ES114. In both strains, FNR was required for normal fumarate- and nitrate-dependent respiration. However, contrary to the report in transgenic E. coli, FNR mediated the repression of lux. ArcA represses bioluminescence, and P(arcA)-lacZ reporters showed reduced expression in fnr mutants, suggesting a possible indirect effect of FNR on bioluminescence via arcA. Finally, the fnr mutant of ES114 was not impaired in colonization of its host squid, Euprymna scolopes. This study extends the characterization of FNR to the Vibrionaceae and underscores the importance of studying lux regulation in its native background.
Source: FEMS Microbiology Letters
Institutions: University of Georgia, University of Oklahoma
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Science Foundation, W. M. Keck Foundation, University of Georgia, Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Army Research Office
OpenAlex ID: W2122325960