One Gene and Two Proteins: a Leaderless MRNA Supports the Translation of a Shorter Form of the Shigella VirF Regulator

Overview

Journal mBio

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2016 Nov 12

PMID 27834204

Citations 25

Authors

Maria Letizia Di Martino

Cedric Romilly

E Gerhart H Wagner

Bianca Colonna

Gianni Prosseda

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Importance: Shigella spp. are a major cause of dysentery in humans. In bacteria of this genus, the activation of the invasive program involves a multitude of signals that act on all layers of the gene regulatory hierarchy. By controlling the essential genes for host cell invasion, VirF is the key regulator of the switch from the noninvasive to the invasive phenotype. Here, we show that the Shigella virF gene encodes two proteins of different sizes, VirF and VirF, that are functionally distinct. The major form, VirF, activates the genes necessary for virulence, whereas the minor VirF, which shares the C-terminal two-thirds of VirF, negatively autoregulates virF expression itself. VirF is transcribed from a newly identified gene-internal promoter and, moreover, is translated from an unusual leaderless mRNA. The identification of a new player in regulation adds complexity to the regulation of the Shigella invasive process and may help development of new therapies for shigellosis.

Citing Articles

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