Transcriptional Regulatory Proteins in the Pathogenic Neisseria
Nadine Daou, Ryan Mcclure and Caroline A. Genco
from: Pathogenic Neisseria: Genomics, Molecular Biology and Disease Intervention (Edited by: John K. Davies and Charlene M. Kahler). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2014)
Abstract
The exclusive human pathogens Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis are the only two pathogenic members of the Neisseria genus. N. gonorrhoeae infects the human genital tract while N. meningitidis typically infects the bloodstream or cerebrospinal fluid. Because of rapidly changing environments encountered during infection, including changing oxygen levels, reactive oxygen species, pH, and iron, both pathogens must be able to quickly and accurately control gene expression. In other microbial pathogens response to these stimuli often involves a repertoire of regulatory proteins, which collectively function to ensure tight regulation of gene expression. However, unlike other bacteria, there are relatively few classical DNA binding proteins expressed by Neisseria species. The following is a discussion of Neisseria gene regulation involving transcriptional regulatory proteins with a specific emphasis on Fur, a global regulatory protein in Neisseria species. While Fur has classically been known to respond to levels of free iron, new studies show that it engages in complex cross talk with other DNA binding proteins in response to stimuli encountered during infection read more ...
