Biomaterial Database

A rns-like regulatory gene for colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) that controls expression of CFA/I pilin. 1990

J Caron, and J R Scott

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University Health Sciences Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30322.

Colonization factor antigens (CFA) are needed for adherence of human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains to their hosts. The CFA/II antigens, CS1 and CS2, which are found in some ETEC strains, require the plasmid-encoded gene rns for expression (J. Caron, L. M. Coffield, and J. R. Scott, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:963-967, 1989). Other ETEC strains express CFA/I, whose synthesis and assembly require genes on two unlinked regions (regions 1 and 2) of a plasmid (G. A. Willshaw, H. R. Smith, and B. Rowe, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 16:101-106, 1983). We report that CFA/I region 2 DNA can substitute for rns to cause expression of CS1 and CS2. The cfaR gene in region 2 is defined by a mutation abolishing both expression of CFA/I and complementation of a rns mutant for expression of CS1 or CS2. In a strain containing only region 1, complementation for expression of CFA/I by a plasmid containing rns+ is inefficient but is adequate to cause hemagglutination by the CFA/I adhesin.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010861	Fimbriae, Bacterial	Thin, hairlike appendages, 1 to 20 microns in length and often occurring in large numbers, present on the cells of gram-negative bacteria, particularly Enterobacteriaceae and Neisseria. Unlike flagella, they do not possess motility, but being protein (pilin) in nature, they possess antigenic and hemagglutinating properties. They are of medical importance because some fimbriae mediate the attachment of bacteria to cells via adhesins (ADHESINS, BACTERIAL). Bacterial fimbriae refer to common pili, to be distinguished from the preferred use of "pili", which is confined to sex pili (PILI, SEX).	Bacterial Fimbriae,Bacterial Pili,Common Fimbriae,Common Pili,Pili, Bacterial,Pili, Common,Bacterial Fimbria,Bacterial Pilus,Common Fimbria,Common Pilus,Fimbria, Bacterial,Pilus, Bacterial,Fimbria, Common,Fimbriae, Common,Pilus, Common
D005798	Genes, Bacterial	The functional hereditary units of BACTERIA.	Bacterial Gene,Bacterial Genes,Gene, Bacterial
D005809	Genes, Regulator	Genes which regulate or circumscribe the activity of other genes; specifically, genes which code for PROTEINS or RNAs which have GENE EXPRESSION REGULATION functions.	Gene, Regulator,Regulator Gene,Regulator Genes,Regulatory Genes,Gene, Regulatory,Genes, Regulatory,Regulatory Gene
D005816	Genetic Complementation Test	A test used to determine whether or not complementation (compensation in the form of dominance) will occur in a cell with a given mutant phenotype when another mutant genome, encoding the same mutant phenotype, is introduced into that cell.	Allelism Test,Cis Test,Cis-Trans Test,Complementation Test,Trans Test,Allelism Tests,Cis Tests,Cis Trans Test,Cis-Trans Tests,Complementation Test, Genetic,Complementation Tests,Complementation Tests, Genetic,Genetic Complementation Tests,Trans Tests
D006384	Hemagglutination	The aggregation of ERYTHROCYTES by AGGLUTININS, including antibodies, lectins, and viral proteins (HEMAGGLUTINATION, VIRAL).	Hemagglutinations
D000942	Antigens, Bacterial	Substances elaborated by bacteria that have antigenic activity.	Bacterial Antigen,Bacterial Antigens,Antigen, Bacterial
D001425	Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins	Proteins isolated from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.	OMP Proteins,Outer Membrane Proteins, Bacterial,Outer Membrane Lipoproteins, Bacterial
D012689	Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid	The sequential correspondence of nucleotides in one nucleic acid molecule with those of another nucleic acid molecule. Sequence homology is an indication of the genetic relatedness of different organisms and gene function.	Base Sequence Homology,Homologous Sequences, Nucleic Acid,Homologs, Nucleic Acid Sequence,Homology, Base Sequence,Homology, Nucleic Acid Sequence,Nucleic Acid Sequence Homologs,Nucleic Acid Sequence Homology,Sequence Homology, Base,Base Sequence Homologies,Homologies, Base Sequence,Sequence Homologies, Base
D015964	Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial	Any of the processes by which cytoplasmic or intercellular factors influence the differential control of gene action in bacteria.	Bacterial Gene Expression Regulation,Regulation of Gene Expression, Bacterial,Regulation, Gene Expression, Bacterial
D036781	Fimbriae Proteins	Proteins that are structural components of bacterial fimbriae (FIMBRIAE, BACTERIAL) or sex pili (PILI, SEX).	Pilin,Propilin,Fimbriae Protein Precusors,Pili Structural Proteins,Pilin Precursors,Pilins,Pre-Pilin,Sex Pili Structural Proteins,Pre Pilin,Precursors, Pilin,Precusors, Fimbriae Protein,Protein Precusors, Fimbriae