Treponema denticola TroR is a manganese‐ and iron‐dependent transcriptional repressor

Abstract

Treponema denticola harbours a genetic locus with significant homology to most of the previously characterized Treponema pallidum tro operon. Within this locus are five genes (troABCDR) encoding for the components of an ATP-binding cassette cation-transport system (troABCD) and a DtxR-like transcriptional regulator (troR). In addition, a σ70-like promoter and an 18 bp region of dyad symmetry were identified upstream of the troA start codon. This putative operator sequence demonstrated similarity to the T. pallidum TroR (TroRTp) binding sequence; however, the position of this motif with respect to the predicted tro promoters differed. Interestingly, unlike the T. pallidum orthologue, T. denticola TroR (TroRTd) possesses a C-terminal Src homology 3-like domain commonly associated with DtxR family members. In the present study, we show that TroRTd is a manganese- and iron-dependent transcriptional repressor using Escherichia coli reporter constructs and in T. denticola. In addition, we demonstrate that although TroRTd possessing various C-terminal deletions maintain metal-sensing capacities, these truncated proteins exhibit reduced repressor activities in comparison with full-length TroRTd. Based upon these findings, we propose that TroRTd represents a novel member of the DtxR family of transcriptional regulators and is likely to play an important role in regulating both manganese and iron homeostases in this spirochaete.