Anr Gene Research Articles

Isolation and Characterization of Pseudomonas Strains Capable of Fe(III) Reduction with Reference to Redox Response Regulator Genes

Two bacterial strains, KNA-6-3 and KNA-6-5, were isolated from groundwater of the Tono uranium mine, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, and showed slight but persistent ferric iron (Fe(III)) reduction. The 16S rDNA sequences of the strains were > 96% similar to that of the facultative denitrifier Pseudomonas stutzeri, a species that has not been regarded as a reducer of Fe(III). The genes of redox stress response regulators involved in switching between aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms, arcA, arcB and anr, were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses of the amplified sequences showed high similarities to known arcA, arcB and anr genes from other bacterial species. Expression of the putative arcA, arcB and anr genes was monitored by real-time reverse transcription PCR during aerobic and anaerobic growth. Transcripts of the putative arcA and anr increased with slight but persistent Fe(III) reduction, whereas the putative arcB transcript showed no significant correlation with Fe(III) reduction. The putative anr sequences from the two strains were less similar, and therefore the putative arcA sequences were targeted to estimate the abundance of related bacteria in the Tono uranium mine groundwater. Real-time genomic PCR using universal arcA primers and an arcA probe showed that arcA-bearers would occur at as low as 0.06% (50 cells ml−1) of the total microbial population of 8.05 × 104 cells ml−1.

Diversity of oxygen and N-oxide regulation of nitrite reductases in denitrifying bacteria.

We examined alpha, beta and gamma Proteobacteria with Cu and heme-type dissimilatory nitrite reductases for patterns of nir regulation. Six of seven strains expressed nitrite reductase under aerobic growth conditions. In only one strain, G-179, was it stringently regulated by O2. Growth with NO-3 or NO-2 enhanced nitrite reductase production in four of seven strains under anaerobic growth conditions, but in only one strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01, under aerobic conditions. In this strain the nitrite reductase production was primarily regulated by an anr gene when grown under anaerobic conditions, but when grown under aerobic conditions it was regulated by both an anr gene and nitrogen oxide. Constitutive production of nitrite reductase was a common phenomenon rather than the exception among denitrifiers from the environment, which helps explain the prevalence of denitrifying enzymes in aerobic soils.

The effects of mutation of the anr gene on the aerobic respiratory chain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The anr gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a transcriptional regulator of anaerobic gene expression, homologous to the Fnr protein of Escherichia coli. We report here that Anr has a role in regulating the activity of the aerobic respiratory chain of P. aeruginosa. Strains with internal deletions in their anr gene had lowered levels of membrane bound cytochromes whilst the activity of the cytochrome c oxidase, cytochrome co (likely to be a cytochrome cbb3-type oxidase), and the cyanide-insensitive respiratory pathway was markedly higher than in the wild-type strains. These data, and the finding that provision of multiple copies of the anr gene led to severe repression of these respiratory activities, suggest that Anr is a repressor of aerobic respiratory pathways and possibly the terminal oxidases themselves. In contrast, Anr activated cytochrome c peroxidase, a respiratory chain linked enzyme induced under low oxygen conditions.

The effects of mutation of the anr gene on the aerobic respiratory chain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The anr gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a transcriptional regulator of anaerobic gene expression, homologous to the Fnr protein of Escherichia coli. We report here that Anr has a role in regulating the activity of the aerobic respiratory chain of P. aeruginosa. Strains with internal deletions in their anr gene had lowered levels of membrane bound cytochromes whilst the activity of the cytochrome c oxidase, cytochrome co (likely to be a cytochrome cbb 3-type oxidase), and the cyanide-insensitive respiratory pathway was markedly higher than in the wild-type strains. These data, and the finding that provision of multiple copies of the anr gene led to severe repression of these respiratory activities, suggest that Anr is a repressor of aerobic respiratory pathways and possibly the terminal oxidases themselves. In contrast, Anr activated cytochrome c peroxidase, a respiratory chain linked enzyme induced under low oxygen conditions.

Diversity of oxygen and N-oxide regulation of nitrite reductases in denitrifying bacteria

We examined α, β and γ Proteobacteria with Cu and heme-type dissimilatory nitrite reductases for patterns of nir regulation. Six of seven strains expressed nitrite reductase under aerobic growth conditions. In only one strain, G-179, was it stringently regulated by O 2. Growth with NO − 3 or NO − 2 enhanced nitrite reductase production in four of seven strains under anaerobic growth conditions, but in only one strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01, under aerobic conditions. In this strain the nitrite reductase production was primarily regulated by an anr gene when grown under anaerobic conditions, but when grown under aerobic conditions it was regulated by both an anr gene and nitrogen oxide. Constitutive production of nitrite reductase was a common phenomenon rather than the exception among denitrifiers from the environment, which helps explain the prevalence of denitrifying enzymes in aerobic soils.

Altered denA and anr gene expression in aminoglycoside adaptive resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Adaptive resistance to aminoglycoside killing and cytoplasmic accumulation occurs in cultures of originally susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa following an initial incubation with aminoglycoside. Anaerobiosis has also been reported to reduce bacterial killing and limit cytoplasmic aminoglycoside accumulation. We hypothesized that a common mechanism may facilitate reduced bacterial killing and aminoglycoside accumulation in both cases. Northern blot analysis of P. aeruginosa adaptively resistant to gentamicin demonstrated increased mRNA levels of both denA (nitrite reductase), which facilitates terminal electron acceptance in the anaerobic respiratory pathway, and its regulatory protein, ANR, in the absence of promoter DNA sequence changes, when compared with controls. These observations suggested that P. aeruginosa may regulate the expression of genes in its anaerobic respiratory pathway in response to aminoglycosides and may explain, at least partially, P. aeruginosa adaptive resistance to aminoglycosides.

Ferric uptake regulator mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with distinct alterations in the iron-dependent repression of exotoxin A and siderophores in aerobic and microaerobic environments.

Because the ferric uptake regulator (fur) appears to be an essential gene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resistance to manganese was used as an enrichment to isolate strains carrying point mutations in the fur gene in order to assess its role in the co-ordinate expression of siderophores and exotoxin A (ETA). This report describes a detailed molecular and phenotypic characterization of four mutants and one revertant, which carry point mutations in the fur gene. Two parental strains were used in this study. Three mutants were isolated from the widely used strain, PAO1. One of these, CS (cold sensitive), has a mutation in the 5' non-coding region of the fur gene while the two other mutants derived from this parent have mutations resulting in the following deduced changes in Fur: mutant A2, H86-->R; mutant A4, H86-->Y. The other mutant (C6) and its revertant (C6Rv) were derived from PAO6261, a mutant of PAO1 with a deletion in the anr gene (anaerobic regulation of arginine deiminase and nitrate reduction) that controls anaerobic respiration in P. aeruginosa. Fur from the C6 mutant has an A10-->G mutation while in the C6Rv spontaneous revertant the mutant Gly residue has been changed to Ser at this position. All mutants were examined for alterations in the iron-regulated expression of siderophores and ETA. The A2 and A4 mutants expressed higher levels of siderophores in iron-deficient media and in iron-replete media. The CS mutant constitutively expressed siderophores at 25 degrees C. At 42 degrees C siderophore biosynthesis was iron repressed as in the parental strain PAO1. The deletion of anr in PAO6261 had no apparent effect on the iron-mediated regulation of siderophore synthesis, but the C6 mutant derived from this strain produces siderophores constitutively. The iron-regulated production of siderophores by C6Rv was similar to the parental strain PAO6261 and PAO1. Because one of the parental strains used in this study is an Anr mutant, regulation of ETA production was assessed under aerobic and microaerobic conditions. Iron-dependent repression of ETA synthesis in both parental strains and A2 and A4 mutants was found to be 50-100-fold under aerobic and microaerobic conditions, as assayed by quantitative Western dot-blot assays. By contrast in the CS and C6 mutants, while iron-dependent repression os ETA synthesis was similar to both parental strains under aerobic conditions, ETA production in these mutants was constitutive in a microaerobic environment. RNase protection analysis of toxA and regAB transcription in PAO1, PAO6261 and the C6 mutant corroborated the results of quantitative dot-blot assays of ETA. The mutant Fur proteins were purified and examined for their ability to bind to the promoter of a gene (pvdS) that positively regulates the expression of siderophores and ETA. Fur from the A2 and A4 mutants and from the C6Rv revertant was able to bind to the target DNA, but with reduced affinity by comparison to wild-type Fur. Fur from the C6 mutant in DNase I footprint experiments failed to protect the promoter region of the pvdS gene, but it retained some weak binding activity in gel mobility shift assays. The data presented in this study not only furnish some additional insights into the structure-function relationships of Fur, but also afford novel perspectives of virulence factors in P. aeruginosa under environmental conditions that have not previously been considered.

Anaerobic activation of the entire denitrification pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa requires Anr, an analog of Fnr.

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa gene anr, which encodes a structural and functional analog of the anaerobic regulator Fnr in Escherichia coli, was mapped to the SpeI fragment R, which is at about 59 min on the genomic map of P. aeruginosa PAO1. Wild-type P. aeruginosa PAO1 grew under anaerobic conditions with nitrate, nitrite, and nitrous oxide as alternative electron acceptors. An anr deletion mutant, PAO6261, was constructed. It was unable to grow with these alternative electron acceptors; however, its ability to denitrify was restored upon the introduction of the wild-type anr gene. In addition, the activities of two enzymes in the denitrification pathway, nitrite reductase and nitric oxide reductase, were not detectable under oxygen-limiting conditions in strain PAO6261 but were restored when complemented with the anr+ gene. These results indicate that the anr gene product plays a key role in anaerobically activating the entire denitrification pathway.

Anaerobic regulation of transcription initiation in the arcDABC operon of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The arcDABC operon of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes the enzymes of the arginine deiminase pathway, which is inducible under conditions of oxygen limitation and serves to generate ATP from arginine. The 5' end of arc mRNA extracted from anaerobically grown cells was determined by S1 and primer extension mapping. The transcription initiation site was located upstream of the arcD gene and 41.5 bp downstream of the center of the sequence TTGAC....ATCAG. This sequence, termed the ANR box, is similar to the consensus FNR recognition site of Escherichia coli. Transcription of the arc operon in P. aeruginosa was strongly decreased by a deletion of the TTGAC half site or by a mutation in the anr gene, which is known to code for the FNR-like regulatory protein ANR. During a transition from aerobic to anaerobic growth conditions, the concentrations of arc mRNAs and the levels of the ArcD and ArcA proteins rose in a parallel fashion. Mutational analysis of the arc promoter region led to the conclusion that the distance between the ANR box and the -10 promoter region is important for promoter strength, whereas the -35 region does not appear to be critical for arc promoter function. These findings and previous results indicate that anaerobic induction of the arc operon occurs at the level of transcription and requires the ANR box in cis and the ANR protein in trans.

Anaerobic growth and cyanide synthesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa depend on anr, a regulatory gene homologous with fnr of Escherichia coli

Anaerobic growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on nitrate or arginine requires the anr gene, which codes for a positive control element (ANR) capable of functionally complementing an fnr mutation in Escherichia coli. The anr gene was sequenced; it showed 51% identity with the fnr gene at the amino acid sequence level. Four cysteine residues known to be essential in the FNR protein are conserved in ANR. The anr gene product (deduced Mr 27,129) was visualized by the maxicell method and migrated like a 32 kDa protein in gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. An anr mutant of P. aeruginosa constructed by gene replacement was defective in nitrate respiration, arginine deiminase activity, and hydrogen cyanide biosynthesis, underscoring the diverse metabolic functions of ANR during oxygen limitation. Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas syringae, and Pseudomonas mendocina all had a functional analogue of ANR, indicating that similar anaerobic control mechanisms exist in these bacteria.

Identification and molecular characterization of a transcriptional regulator from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 exhibiting structural and functional similarity to the FNR protein of Escherichia coli

A gene library of chromosomal DNA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa contained a DNA fragment which was able to restore anaerobic growth to an Escherichia coli fnr deletion mutant on glycerol/nitrate medium. The cloned gene (termed anr) was sequenced and shown to encode a protein of 244 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 27,129. The deduced amino acid sequence of the anr gene product showed considerable similarity to the FNR protein from E. coli. Expression of the anr gene in a T7 promoter/polymerase system identified ANR as a 31 kDa protein. Transcriptional analysis of the anr gene showed that it is monocistronic but apparently lacks the equivalent sites for negative autoregulation which have been shown to be present in the promoter region of the E. coli fnr gene. The ANR protein was shown to activate transcription of the pfl gene in E. coli in response to anaerobiosis, as well as being able to restore the activity of three anaerobically inducible enzymes. A P. aeruginosa mutant incapable of growing anaerobically with nitrate or on arginine was fully complemented by the anr gene, indicating that it probably has a function in controlling anaerobic gene expression in Pseudomonas. Further corroboration for this assumption was provided by S1 nuclease analysis of transcription of the multiple promoters of the E. coli pfl operon in P. aeruginosa. Transcription was induced by oxygen limitation and was completely ANR-dependent in both aerobic and anaerobic cells. Removal of the upstream regulatory sequence of the pfl operon, which includes the sequences required for FNR-dependent regulation in E. coli, removed ANR-dependent transcriptional control of the remaining pfl promoters, irrespective of the cellular oxygen status. These results imply that the mechanisms by which ANR and FNR regulate transcription are fundamentally similar.