Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1982 Apr;150(1):16–26. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.1.16-26.1982

Fusions of flagellar operons to lactose genes on a mu lac bacteriophage.

Y Komeda
PMCID: PMC220077  PMID: 7037746

Abstract

Previous studies have defined 29 genes necessary for synthesis of the Escherichia coli flagellar apparatus. This study analyzed the transcriptional control of flagellar genes, using Mu d (Apr lac) phage to generate flagellar mutants by insertion. These mutants contained operon fusions of flagellar genes to the lac genes of the Mu d phage and allowed the measurement of flagellar operon expression by detection of beta-galactosidase activity. These fusion mutants expressed the enzyme activity constitutively, and an autogenous regulation mechanism was not revealed. Lambda transducing phages carrying these chromosomal fla-lac fusions were also isolated and used to examine the effect of different fla mutations on expression of each flagellar operon. The results showed that flagellar operons are divided into six classes; (class 1) the flbB operon, which controls all of the other flagellar operons; (class 2) the flaU and flbC operons, which are controlled by the flbB operon gene products and are not required for the expression of other Fla operons; (class 3) the flbA, flaG, flaD, flaN, flaB, and flaA operons, which are under flbB operon control and are required for the expression of other fla operons; (class4) the flaZ operon, which is controlled by the gene products of the group 1 and 3 operons and is required for hag transcription; (class 5) the mocha and flaS operons, which are controlled by the gene products of the group 1 and 3 operons; and (class 6) the hag operon. These results are discussed with respect to the possible assembly sequence of the fla gene products.

Full text

PDF
16

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Berman M. L., Beckwith J. Fusions of the lac operon to the transfer RNA gene tyrT of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1979 May 25;130(3):285–301. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(79)90542-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. COHN M. Contributions of studies on the beta-galactosidase of Escherichia coli to our understanding of enzyme synthesis. Bacteriol Rev. 1957 Sep;21(3):140–168. doi: 10.1128/br.21.3.140-168.1957. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Casadaban M. J., Cohen S. N. Lactose genes fused to exogenous promoters in one step using a Mu-lac bacteriophage: in vivo probe for transcriptional control sequences. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Sep;76(9):4530–4533. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.9.4530. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Casadaban M. J. Transposition and fusion of the lac genes to selected promoters in Escherichia coli using bacteriophage lambda and Mu. J Mol Biol. 1976 Jul 5;104(3):541–555. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(76)90119-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Icho T., Iino T. Isolation and characterization of motile Escherichia coli mutants resistant to bacteriophage chi. J Bacteriol. 1978 Jun;134(3):854–860. doi: 10.1128/jb.134.3.854-860.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Iino T. Genetics of structure and function of bacterial flagella. Annu Rev Genet. 1977;11:161–182. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.11.120177.001113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Komeda Y., Iino T. Regulation of expression of the flagellin gene (hag) in Escherichia coli K-12: analysis of hag-lac gene fusions. J Bacteriol. 1979 Sep;139(3):721–729. doi: 10.1128/jb.139.3.721-729.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Komeda Y., Kutsukake K., Iino T. Definition of additional flagellar genes in Escherichia coli K12. Genetics. 1980 Feb;94(2):277–290. doi: 10.1093/genetics/94.2.277. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kondoh H., Ozeki H. Deletion and amber mutants of fla loci in Escherichia coli K-12. Genetics. 1976 Nov;84(3):403–421. doi: 10.1093/genetics/84.3.403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. O'Brien E. J., Bennett P. M. Structure of straight flagella from a mutant Salmonella. J Mol Biol. 1972 Sep 14;70(1):133–152. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90168-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Parkinson J. S. Behavioral genetics in bacteria. Annu Rev Genet. 1977;11:397–414. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.11.120177.002145. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Silerman M., Matsumura P., Draper R., Edwards S., Simon M. I. Expression of flagellar genes carried by bacteriophage lambda. Nature. 1976 May 20;261(5557):248–250. doi: 10.1038/261248a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Silverman M. R., Simon M. I. Flagellar assembly mutants in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1972 Nov;112(2):986–993. doi: 10.1128/jb.112.2.986-993.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Silverman M., Simon M. I. Bacterial flagella. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1977;31:397–419. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.31.100177.002145. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Silverman M., Simon M. Characterization of Escherichia coli flagellar mutants that are insensitive to catabolite repression. J Bacteriol. 1974 Dec;120(3):1196–1203. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.3.1196-1203.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Silverman M., Simon M. Genetic analysis of flagellar mutants in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1973 Jan;113(1):105–113. doi: 10.1128/jb.113.1.105-113.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Silverman M., Simon M. Identification of polypeptides necessary for chemotaxis in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1977 Jun;130(3):1317–1325. doi: 10.1128/jb.130.3.1317-1325.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Silverman M., Simon M. Operon controlling motility and chemotoxis in E. coli. Nature. 1976 Dec 9;264(5586):577–580. doi: 10.1038/264577a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Suzuki H., Iino T. Absence of messenger ribonucleic acid specific for flagellin in non-flagellate mutants of Salmonella. J Mol Biol. 1975 Jul 15;95(4):549–556. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(75)90316-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Suzuki T., Komeda Y. Incomplete flagellar structures in Escherichia coli mutants. J Bacteriol. 1981 Feb;145(2):1036–1041. doi: 10.1128/jb.145.2.1036-1041.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES