Skip to main content
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1992 Aug;60(8):3287–3295. doi: 10.1128/iai.60.8.3287-3295.1992

mxiA of Shigella flexneri 2a, which facilitates export of invasion plasmid antigens, encodes a homolog of the low-calcium-response protein, LcrD, of Yersinia pestis.

G P Andrews 1, A T Maurelli 1
PMCID: PMC257313  PMID: 1639496

Abstract

The plasmid-encoded invasion plasmid antigen (Ipa) export accessory locus of Shigella flexneri 2a, mxiA, was cloned, and the complete DNA sequence of the gene was determined. The mixA open reading frame was found to encode a polypeptide of 74.03 kDa with a pI of 5.02. A hydropathy analysis of the predicted protein revealed a hydrophilic C terminus and an extremely hydrophobic N terminus without a cleavable signal sequence but with several potential membrane-spanning regions. While a homology search did not reveal any significant relatedness of the mxiA DNA sequence to any known bacterial gene sequences, the derived amino acid sequence of MxiA was found to be highly homologous (68%) to the sequence of the protein encoded by the low-calcium-response locus, lcrD, of Yersinia pestis. The lcrD encodes an inner membrane regulatory protein that has an N-terminal membrane anchor and that is implicated in facilitating the export of Y. pestis outer membrane proteins (G. V. Plano, S. S. Barve, and S. C. Straley, J. Bacteriol. 173:7293-7303, 1991). Congo red binding, HeLa cell invasion, and Ipa excretion were restored in two avirulent mxiA fusion mutants when they were transformed with a cloned copy of the mxiA gene. Furthermore, the expression of the cloned mxiA gene was independent of any vector-specified promoter, suggesting that the transcription of mxiA is driven by its own promoter in this clone. In contrast, the overexpression of mxiA that resulted when it was placed under the control of the lac promoter was found to be deleterious in Escherichia coli. We conclude that mxiA is a homolog of the Y. pestis lcrD locus and may function similarly in S. flexneri, either by directly affecting the excretion of virulence factors or by regulating the expression of export accessory genes.

Full text

PDF
3287

Selected References

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

  1. Andrews G. P., Hromockyj A. E., Coker C., Maurelli A. T. Two novel virulence loci, mxiA and mxiB, in Shigella flexneri 2a facilitate excretion of invasion plasmid antigens. Infect Immun. 1991 Jun;59(6):1997–2005. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.6.1997-2005.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baudry B., Kaczorek M., Sansonetti P. J. Nucleotide sequence of the invasion plasmid antigen B and C genes (ipaB and ipaC) of Shigella flexneri. Microb Pathog. 1988 May;4(5):345–357. doi: 10.1016/0882-4010(88)90062-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Baudry B., Maurelli A. T., Clerc P., Sadoff J. C., Sansonetti P. J. Localization of plasmid loci necessary for the entry of Shigella flexneri into HeLa cells, and characterization of one locus encoding four immunogenic polypeptides. J Gen Microbiol. 1987 Dec;133(12):3403–3413. doi: 10.1099/00221287-133-12-3403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Buysse J. M., Venkatesan M., Mills J. A., Oaks E. V. Molecular characterization of a trans-acting, positive effector (ipaR) of invasion plasmid antigen synthesis in Shigella flexneri serotype 5. Microb Pathog. 1990 Mar;8(3):197–211. doi: 10.1016/0882-4010(90)90047-t. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dagert M., Ehrlich S. D. Prolonged incubation in calcium chloride improves the competence of Escherichia coli cells. Gene. 1979 May;6(1):23–28. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(79)90082-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Devereux J., Haeberli P., Smithies O. A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Jan 11;12(1 Pt 1):387–395. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.1part1.387. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. FORMAL S. B., DAMMIN G. J., LABREC E. H., SCHNEIDER H. Experimental Shigella infections: characteristics of a fatal infection produced in guinea pigs. J Bacteriol. 1958 May;75(5):604–610. doi: 10.1128/jb.75.5.604-610.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Goguen J. D., Yother J., Straley S. C. Genetic analysis of the low calcium response in Yersinia pestis mu d1(Ap lac) insertion mutants. J Bacteriol. 1984 Dec;160(3):842–848. doi: 10.1128/jb.160.3.842-848.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hale T. L., Oaks E. V., Formal S. B. Identification and antigenic characterization of virulence-associated, plasmid-coded proteins of Shigella spp. and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1985 Dec;50(3):620–629. doi: 10.1128/iai.50.3.620-629.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hale T. L., Sansonetti P. J., Schad P. A., Austin S., Formal S. B. Characterization of virulence plasmids and plasmid-associated outer membrane proteins in Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, and Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1983 Apr;40(1):340–350. doi: 10.1128/iai.40.1.340-350.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hawley D. K., McClure W. R. Compilation and analysis of Escherichia coli promoter DNA sequences. Nucleic Acids Res. 1983 Apr 25;11(8):2237–2255. doi: 10.1093/nar/11.8.2237. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Helmann J. D., Chamberlin M. J. DNA sequence analysis suggests that expression of flagellar and chemotaxis genes in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium is controlled by an alternative sigma factor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Sep;84(18):6422–6424. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.18.6422. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Helmann J. D., Márquez L. M., Chamberlin M. J. Cloning, sequencing, and disruption of the Bacillus subtilis sigma 28 gene. J Bacteriol. 1988 Apr;170(4):1568–1574. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.4.1568-1574.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hromockyj A. E., Maurelli A. T. Identification of Shigella invasion genes by isolation of temperature-regulated inv::lacZ operon fusions. Infect Immun. 1989 Oct;57(10):2963–2970. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.10.2963-2970.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kato J., Ito K., Nakamura A., Watanabe H. Cloning of regions required for contact hemolysis and entry into LLC-MK2 cells from Shigella sonnei form I plasmid: virF is a positive regulator gene for these phenotypes. Infect Immun. 1989 May;57(5):1391–1398. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.5.1391-1398.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kozak M. Comparison of initiation of protein synthesis in procaryotes, eucaryotes, and organelles. Microbiol Rev. 1983 Mar;47(1):1–45. doi: 10.1128/mr.47.1.1-45.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kyte J., Doolittle R. F. A simple method for displaying the hydropathic character of a protein. J Mol Biol. 1982 May 5;157(1):105–132. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(82)90515-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Maurelli A. T., Baudry B., d'Hauteville H., Hale T. L., Sansonetti P. J. Cloning of plasmid DNA sequences involved in invasion of HeLa cells by Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1985 Jul;49(1):164–171. doi: 10.1128/iai.49.1.164-171.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Maurelli A. T., Blackmon B., Curtiss R., 3rd Loss of pigmentation in Shigella flexneri 2a is correlated with loss of virulence and virulence-associated plasmid. Infect Immun. 1984 Jan;43(1):397–401. doi: 10.1128/iai.43.1.397-401.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Maurelli A. T., Hromockyj A. E., Bernardini M. L. Environmental regulation of Shigella virulence. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1992;180:95–116. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-77238-2_5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Maurelli A. T., Sansonetti P. J. Identification of a chromosomal gene controlling temperature-regulated expression of Shigella virulence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Apr;85(8):2820–2824. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.8.2820. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Miller J. F., Mekalanos J. J., Falkow S. Coordinate regulation and sensory transduction in the control of bacterial virulence. Science. 1989 Feb 17;243(4893):916–922. doi: 10.1126/science.2537530. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Plano G. V., Barve S. S., Straley S. C. LcrD, a membrane-bound regulator of the Yersinia pestis low-calcium response. J Bacteriol. 1991 Nov;173(22):7293–7303. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.22.7293-7303.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Pugsley A. P., d'Enfert C., Reyss I., Kornacker M. G. Genetics of extracellular protein secretion by gram-negative bacteria. Annu Rev Genet. 1990;24:67–90. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.24.120190.000435. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Ramakrishnan G., Zhao J. L., Newton A. The cell cycle-regulated flagellar gene flbF of Caulobacter crescentus is homologous to a virulence locus (lcrD) of Yersinia pestis. J Bacteriol. 1991 Nov;173(22):7283–7292. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.22.7283-7292.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Sanders L. A., Van Way S., Mullin D. A. Characterization of the Caulobacter crescentus flbF promoter and identification of the inferred FlbF product as a homolog of the LcrD protein from a Yersinia enterocolitica virulence plasmid. J Bacteriol. 1992 Feb;174(3):857–866. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.3.857-866.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Sasakawa C., Adler B., Tobe T., Okada N., Nagai S., Komatsu K., Yoshikawa M. Functional organization and nucleotide sequence of virulence Region-2 on the large virulence plasmid in Shigella flexneri 2a. Mol Microbiol. 1989 Sep;3(9):1191–1201. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1989.tb00269.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Venkatesan M. M., Buysse J. M., Kopecko D. J. Characterization of invasion plasmid antigen genes (ipaBCD) from Shigella flexneri. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Dec;85(23):9317–9321. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.23.9317. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Venkatesan M. M., Buysse J. M., Oaks E. V. Surface presentation of Shigella flexneri invasion plasmid antigens requires the products of the spa locus. J Bacteriol. 1992 Mar;174(6):1990–2001. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.6.1990-2001.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Viitanen A. M., Toivanen P., Skurnik M. The lcrE gene is part of an operon in the lcr region of Yersinia enterocolitica O:3. J Bacteriol. 1990 Jun;172(6):3152–3162. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.6.3152-3162.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Yanisch-Perron C., Vieira J., Messing J. Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19 vectors. Gene. 1985;33(1):103–119. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(85)90120-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES