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Carbon dioxide as a regulator of gene expression in microorganisms

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Abstract

CO2 regulates gene expression across a diverse group of microorganisms including fungi, and both photosynthetic and non photosynthetic bacteria. The processes that CO2 regulates are diverse. Several CO2-responsive random promoter lacZ fusions of unknown function have been isolated from a marine Synechococcus and a Pseudoalteromonas sp., highlighting the wide effect of CO2 control in these organisms. Regulatory proteins have been described that mediate the CO2 response at transcription level in Bacillus anthracis, the group A streptococci and two Rhodobacter spp.. These regulatory proteins include: AcpA and AtxA that are involved in CO2 control of B. anthracis capsule and toxin production; Mga that regulates surface associated virulence factors in the group A streptococci; and RegB/A, a two component signal transduction system that responds to environmental stimuli including CO2, to regulate photosynthetic apparatus and CO2 fixation enzyme synthesis in Rhodobacter spp..

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  1. School of Biological Sciences, The Flinders University of South Australia, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, 5001, SA, Australia

    Serina Stretton & Amanda E. Goodman

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  1. Serina Stretton
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Stretton, S., Goodman, A.E. Carbon dioxide as a regulator of gene expression in microorganisms. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 73, 79–85 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1000610225458

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