Journal
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 293, Issue 2, Pages 278-284Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2009.01542.x
Keywords
Borrelia burgdorferi; flaB; promoter; transcription
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [AI 49293]
- National Institutes of Health [RR00164]
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In this study, we investigated the functional elements of the flaB promoter of Borrelia burgdorferi. Promoter function was examined in a high-passage variant of strain JD1 using a set of 5' deletions and mutations within the flaB promoter. Expression from the modified flaB promoters was assayed using the gene for green fluorescent protein (gfp) as a reporter. Although the -35 element of the promoter stimulated promoter activity, its disruption did not negate expression. Sequences upstream of the -35 had no effect on expression. The -35/-10 spacer region composed of a T-rich sequence was critical for optimal promoter function. Surprisingly, a cytosine at the -13 site was found to be more favorable for transcription compared with a guanosine at the same site. Based on these results and other characteristics, we propose that the B. burgdorferi flaB promoter is an example of an extended -10 promoter. Further, the T-rich spacer is a key element of the flaB promoter that contributes to the abundance of the flagellar core protein in Borrelia species.
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