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Differential regulation of groESL operon expression in response to heat and light in Anabaena

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Abstract

The HrcA protein is known to bind the cis-element CIRCE and repress expression of hsp60 in certain bacteria. However, recent data from cyanobacteria have seriously questioned the HrcA/CIRCE interaction paradigm. A hrcA null mutant showed constitutive expression of Hsp60 proteins [GroEL/Cpn60(GroEL2)], and an unexpected further increase in GroEL during temperature upshift, suggesting involvement of regulatory mechanisms other than HrcA in groESL expression in Anabaena. The negative regulation of both hsp60 genes [groEL and cpn60 (groEL2)] at CIRCE element was established by: (1) constitutive expression of Green Fluorescent Protein gene, tagged to Anabaena hsp60 promoters, in E. coli, and its repression upon co-expression of Anabaena HrcA and (2) specific binding of Anabaena HrcA to the CIRCE element. Deletion analysis of other cis-elements further distinguished (a) a photo-regulation by the K-box and (b) thermoregulation from a novel H-box, over and above the negative regulation by HrcA at CIRCE.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. James Golden, A and M University, Texas, USA, for providing the vector pAM1956, Prof. C. P. Wolk, Michigan State University, for providing the vectors, pRL443 and pRL623 and Prof. Wolfgang Schumann, University of Bayreuth, Germany, where the work on cloning of hrcA gene of Anabaena was initiated. Thanks are also due to The Centre for Genomic Research (TCGA), New Delhi for MALDI-ToF analysis of HrcA and our colleague Akhilesh Potnis for fluorimetric analysis of the GFP expression.

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  1. Molecular Biology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400 085, India

    Hema Rajaram & Shree Kumar Apte

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  1. Hema Rajaram
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  2. Shree Kumar Apte
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Correspondence to Shree Kumar Apte.

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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Rajaram, H., Apte, S.K. Differential regulation of groESL operon expression in response to heat and light in Anabaena . Arch Microbiol 192, 729–738 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-010-0601-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-010-0601-9

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