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A cryptic transcription factor regulates Caulobacter adhesin development

Maeve McLaughlin, David M. Hershey, Leila Reyes Ruiz, Aretha Fiebig, View ORCID ProfileSean Crosson
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.05.23.493133
Maeve McLaughlin
1Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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David M. Hershey
2Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
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Leila Reyes Ruiz
3Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Aretha Fiebig
1Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Sean Crosson
1Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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  • ORCID record for Sean Crosson
  • For correspondence: crosson4@msu.edu
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Abstract

Alphaproteobacteria commonly produce an adhesin that is anchored to the exterior of the envelope at one cell pole. In Caulobacter crescentus, this adhesin enables permanent attachment to solid surfaces and is known as the holdfast. An ensemble of two-component signal transduction (TCS) proteins control C. crescentus holdfast biogenesis by indirectly regulating expression of HfiA, a potent inhibitor of holdfast synthesis. A genetic selection to discover direct hfiA regulators that function downstream of this adhesion TCS system identified a hypothetical gene that we have named rtrC. Though the primary structure of RtrC bears no resemblance to any defined protein family, RtrC directly binds and regulates dozens of sites on the C. crescentus chromosome via a pseudo-palindromic motif. Among these binding sites is the hfiA promoter, where RtrC functions to directly repress transcription and thereby activate holdfast development. RtrC, the DNA-binding response regulator SpdR, and the transcription factor RtrB together form an OR-gated type I coherent feedforward loop (C1-FFL) that regulates hfiA transcription. C1-FFL motifs are known to buffer gene expression against transient loss of regulating signals, which often occurs in fluctuating natural environments. We conclude that the formerly hypothetical gene, rtrC, encodes a transcription factor that functions downstream of the C. crescentus TCS adhesion control system to regulate development of the holdfast adhesin.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted May 23, 2022.
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A cryptic transcription factor regulates Caulobacter adhesin development
Maeve McLaughlin, David M. Hershey, Leila Reyes Ruiz, Aretha Fiebig, Sean Crosson
bioRxiv 2022.05.23.493133; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.05.23.493133
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A cryptic transcription factor regulates Caulobacter adhesin development
Maeve McLaughlin, David M. Hershey, Leila Reyes Ruiz, Aretha Fiebig, Sean Crosson
bioRxiv 2022.05.23.493133; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.05.23.493133

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