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Infection and Immunity, April 2007, p. 1964-1972, Vol. 75, No. 4
0019-9567/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01552-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Regulation of Exoprotein Gene Expression by the Staphylococcus aureus cvfB Gene{triangledown}

Yasuhiko Matsumoto, Chikara Kaito, Daisuke Morishita, Kenji Kurokawa, and Kazuhisa Sekimizu*

Laboratory of Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-1, 7-Chome, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

Received 27 September 2006/ Returned for modification 7 November 2006/ Accepted 23 January 2007

We previously reported that the cvfB gene (SA1223) of Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for the virulence of this pathogenic bacterium. We show here that the cvfB gene regulates exoprotein gene expression. In a cvfB gene deletion mutant, hemolysin, DNase, and protease production were decreased, whereas protein A expression was increased. The amount of RNAIII, the transcript from the P3 promoter in the agr locus that regulates the expression of various virulence factors, was also reduced in the cvfB mutant. In addition, P2 and P3 promoter activity in the agr locus was decreased in the mutant. Under the genetic background of the agr-null mutation, cvfB gene disruption decreased the production levels of DNase and protease. Moreover, the cvfB and agr double mutant was less virulent than the agr mutant in silkworms. These results suggest that the cvfB gene product contributes to the expression of virulence factors and to pathogenicity via both agr-dependent and agr-independent pathways.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, 3-1, 7-Chome, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. Phone: 81 3 (5841) 4820. Fax: 81 3 (5684) 2973. E-mail: sekimizu{at}mol.f.u-tokyo.ac.jp.

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 5 February 2007.

Editor: J. B. Bliska

Infection and Immunity, April 2007, p. 1964-1972, Vol. 75, No. 4
0019-9567/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01552-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Nagata, M., Kaito, C., Sekimizu, K. (2008). Phosphodiesterase Activity of CvfA Is Required for Virulence in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Biol. Chem. 283: 2176-2184 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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