| Title: | Characterization of the pheromone response of the Enterococcus faecalis conjugative plasmid pCF10: complete sequence and comparative analysis of the transcriptional and phenotypic responses of pCF10-containing cells to pheromone induction |
| Author(s): | Hirt H; Manias DA; Bryan EM; Klein JR; Marklund JK; Staddon JH; Paustian ML; Kapur V; Dunny GM; |
| Address: | "Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA. hhirt@ksu.edu" |
| DOI: | 10.1128/JB.187.3.1044-1054.2005 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0021-9193 (Print) 1098-5530 (Electronic) 0021-9193 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The sex pheromone plasmids in Enterococcus faecalis are one of the most efficient conjugative plasmid transfer systems known in bacteria. Plasmid transfer rates can reach or exceed 10(-1) transconjugants per donor in vivo and under laboratory conditions. We report the completion of the DNA sequence of plasmid pCF10 and the analysis of the transcription profile of plasmid genes, relative to conjugative transfer ability following pheromone induction. These experiments employed a mini-microarray containing all 57 open reading frames of pCF10 and a set of selected chromosomal genes. A clear peak of transcription activity was observed 30 to 60 min after pheromone addition, with transcription subsiding 2 h after pheromone induction. The transcript activity correlated with the ability of donor cells to transfer pCF10 to recipient cells. Remarkably, aggregation substance (Asc10, encoded by the prgB gene) was present on the cell surface for a long period of time after pheromone-induced transcription of prgB and plasmid transfer ability had ceased. This observation could have relevance for the virulence of E. faecalis" |
| Keywords: | "Chromosome Mapping DNA, Bacterial/genetics Enterococcus faecalis/*genetics Phenotype Pheromones/genetics/*physiology Phylogeny Plasmids/genetics Polymerase Chain Reaction Transcription, Genetic/*genetics;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineHirt, Helmut Manias, Dawn A Bryan, Edward M Klein, Joanna R Marklund, Jesper K Staddon, Jack H Paustian, Michael L Kapur, Vivek Dunny, Gary M eng HL51987/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/ GM49530/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 GM049530/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ P20 RR016443/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ R01 HL051987/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/ Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. 2005/01/22 J Bacteriol. 2005 Feb; 187(3):1044-54. doi: 10.1128/JB.187.3.1044-1054.2005" |
