Regulation of Vibrio polysaccharide synthesis and virulence factor production by CdgC, a GGDEF-EAL domain protein, in Vibrio cholerae

J Bacteriol. 2007 Feb;189(3):717-29. doi: 10.1128/JB.00834-06. Epub 2006 Nov 22.

Abstract

In Vibrio cholerae, the second messenger 3',5'-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP) regulates several cellular processes, such as formation of corrugated colony morphology, biofilm formation, motility, and virulence factor production. Both synthesis and degradation of c-di-GMP in the cell are modulated by proteins containing GGDEF and/or EAL domains, which function as a diguanylate cyclase and a phosphodiesterase, respectively. The expression of two genes, cdgC and mbaA, which encode proteins harboring both GGDEF and EAL domains is higher in the rugose phase variant of V. cholerae than in the smooth variant. In this study, we carried out gene expression analysis to determine the genes regulated by CdgC in the rugose and smooth phase variants of V. cholerae. We determined that CdgC regulates expression of genes required for V. cholerae polysaccharide synthesis and of the transcriptional regulator genes vpsR, vpsT, and hapR. CdgC also regulates expression of genes involved in extracellular protein secretion, flagellar biosynthesis, and virulence factor production. We then compared the genes regulated by CdgC and by MbaA, during both exponential and stationary phases of growth, to elucidate processes regulated by them. Identification of the regulons of CdgC and MbaA revealed that the regulons overlap, but the timing of regulation exerted by CdgC and MbaA is different, suggesting the interplay and complexity of the c-di-GMP signal transduction pathways operating in V. cholerae.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Chemotaxis
  • Cyclic GMP / analogs & derivatives*
  • Cyclic GMP / metabolism
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Flagella / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / metabolism
  • Phosphorus-Oxygen Lyases / metabolism
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial / genetics
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial / metabolism
  • Purines / metabolism
  • Pyrimidines / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Vibrio cholerae / genetics*
  • Vibrio cholerae / metabolism
  • Virulence Factors / genetics*
  • Virulence Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial
  • Purines
  • Pyrimidines
  • Virulence Factors
  • VpsR protein, Vibrio cholerae
  • bis(3',5')-cyclic diguanylic acid
  • Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases
  • Phosphorus-Oxygen Lyases
  • diguanylate cyclase
  • Cyclic GMP
  • pyrimidine
  • purine