This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Renzoni, A. Articles by Cossart, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Renzoni, A. Articles by Cossart, P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infect. Immun., Apr 1997, 1515-1518, Vol 65, No. 4
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology

Evidence that PrfA, the pleiotropic activator of virulence genes in Listeria monocytogenes, can be present but inactive

A Renzoni, A Klarsfeld, S Dramsi and P Cossart
Unite des Interactions Bacteries-Cellules, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

All virulence genes of Listeria monocytogenes identified to date are positively regulated by PrfA, a transcriptional activator belonging to the Crp-Fnr family. Low temperature and cellobiose are two environmental signals known to repress expression of virulence genes in L. monocytogenes. In the present work, we analyzed the effect of temperature and cellobiose on the expression of the PrfA protein. At low temperature, PrfA was undetected, although prfA monocistronic transcripts are present. In contrast, PrfA was fully expressed in the presence of cellobiose. These results strongly suggest that virulence gene activation depends on both the presence of PrfA and additional regulatory pathways that either modify PrfA or act synergistically with PrfA.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Sabet, C., Toledo-Arana, A., Personnic, N., Lecuit, M., Dubrac, S., Poupel, O., Gouin, E., Nahori, M.-A., Cossart, P., Bierne, H. (2008). The Listeria monocytogenes Virulence Factor InlJ Is Specifically Expressed In Vivo and Behaves as an Adhesin. Infect. Immun. 76: 1368-1378 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• McGann, P., Wiedmann, M., Boor, K. J. (2007). The Alternative Sigma Factor {sigma}B and the Virulence Gene Regulator PrfA Both Regulate Transcription of Listeria monocytogenes Internalins. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 2919-2930 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Velge, P., Herler, M., Johansson, J., Roche, S. M., Temoin, S., Fedorov, A. A., Gracieux, P., Almo, S. C., Goebel, W., Cossart, P. (2007). A naturally occurring mutation K220T in the pleiotropic activator PrfA of Listeria monocytogenes results in a loss of virulence due to decreasing DNA-binding affinity. Microbiology 153: 995-1005 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mertins, S., Joseph, B., Goetz, M., Ecke, R., Seidel, G., Sprehe, M., Hillen, W., Goebel, W., Muller-Altrock, S. (2007). Interference of Components of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Phosphotransferase System with the Central Virulence Gene Regulator PrfA of Listeria monocytogenes. J. Bacteriol. 189: 473-490 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mauder, N., Ecke, R., Mertins, S., Loeffler, D. I. M., Seidel, G., Sprehe, M., Hillen, W., Goebel, W., Muller-Altrock, S. (2006). Species-Specific Differences in the Activity of PrfA, the Key Regulator of Listerial Virulence Genes. J. Bacteriol. 188: 7941-7956 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Marr, A. K., Joseph, B., Mertins, S., Ecke, R., Muller-Altrock, S., Goebel, W. (2006). Overexpression of PrfA Leads to Growth Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes in Glucose-Containing Culture Media by Interfering with Glucose Uptake. J. Bacteriol. 188: 3887-3901 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Gray, M. J., Freitag, N. E., Boor, K. J. (2006). How the Bacterial Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes Mediates the Switch from Environmental Dr. Jekyll to Pathogenic Mr. Hyde.. Infect. Immun. 74: 2505-2512 [Full Text]  
• Kim, H., Marquis, H., Boor, K. J. (2005). {sigma}B contributes to Listeria monocytogenes invasion by controlling expression of inlA and inlB. Microbiology 151: 3215-3222 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kim, H., Boor, K. J., Marquis, H. (2004). Listeria monocytogenes {sigma}B Contributes to Invasion of Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells. Infect. Immun. 72: 7374-7378 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Johnson, J., Jinneman, K., Stelma, G., Smith, B. G., Lye, D., Messer, J., Ulaszek, J., Evsen, L., Gendel, S., Bennett, R. W., Swaminathan, B., Pruckler, J., Steigerwalt, A., Kathariou, S., Yildirim, S., Volokhov, D., Rasooly, A., Chizhikov, V., Wiedmann, M., Fortes, E., Duvall, R. E., Hitchins, A. D. (2004). Natural Atypical Listeria innocua Strains with Listeria monocytogenes Pathogenicity Island 1 Genes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 4256-4266 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Reid, S. D., Montgomery, A. G., Musser, J. M. (2004). Identification of srv, a PrfA-Like Regulator of Group A Streptococcus That Influences Virulence. Infect. Immun. 72: 1799-1803 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Milenbachs Lukowiak, A., Mueller, K. J., Freitag, N. E., Youngman, P. (2004). Deregulation of Listeria monocytogenes virulence gene expression by two distinct and semi-independent pathways. Microbiology 150: 321-333 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Jaradat, Z. W., Bhunia, A. K. (2003). Adhesion, Invasion, and Translocation Characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes Serotypes in Caco-2 Cell and Mouse Models. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 3640-3645 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Greene, S. L., Freitag, N. E. (2003). Negative regulation of PrfA, the key activator of Listeria monocytogenes virulence gene expression, is dispensable for bacterial pathogenesis. Microbiology 149: 111-120 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Jaradat, Z. W., Bhunia, A. K. (2002). Glucose and Nutrient Concentrations Affect the Expression of a 104-Kilodalton Listeria Adhesion Protein in Listeria monocytogenes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 4876-4883 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Conte, M. P., Petrone, G., Di Biase, A. M., Longhi, C., Penta, M., Tinari, A., Superti, F., Fabozzi, G., Visca, P., Seganti, L. (2002). Effect of Acid Adaptation on the Fate of Listeria monocytogenes in THP-1 Human Macrophages Activated by Gamma Interferon. Infect. Immun. 70: 4369-4378 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• SMITH-PALMER, A., STEWART, J., FYFE, L. (2002). Inhibition of listeriolysin O and phosphatidylcholine-specific production in Listeria monocytogenes by subinhibitory concentrations of plant essential oils. J Med Microbiol 51: 567-608 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Herler, M., Bubert, A., Goetz, M., Vega, Y., Vazquez-Boland, J. A., Goebel, W. (2001). Positive Selection of Mutations Leading to Loss or Reduction of Transcriptional Activity of PrfA, the Central Regulator of Listeria monocytogenes Virulence. J. Bacteriol. 183: 5562-5570 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Vazquez-Boland, J. A., Kuhn, M., Berche, P., Chakraborty, T., Dominguez-Bernal, G., Goebel, W., Gonzalez-Zorn, B., Wehland, J., Kreft, J. (2001). Listeria Pathogenesis and Molecular Virulence Determinants. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 14: 584-640 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Brehm, K., Ripio, M.-T., Kreft, J., Vázquez-Boland, J.-A. (1999). The bvr Locus of Listeria monocytogenes Mediates Virulence Gene Repression by beta -Glucosides. J. Bacteriol. 181: 5024-5032 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Santiago, N. I., Zipf, A., Bhunia, A. K. (1999). Influence of Temperature and Growth Phase on Expression of a 104-Kilodalton Listeria Adhesion Protein in Listeria monocytogenes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 2765-2769 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Behari, J., Youngman, P. (1998). A Homolog of CcpA Mediates Catabolite Control in Listeria monocytogenes but Not Carbon Source Regulation of Virulence Genes. J. Bacteriol. 180: 6316-6324 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nannapaneni, R., Story, R., Bhunia, A. K., Johnson, M. G. (1998). Unstable Expression and Thermal Instability of a Species-Specific Cell Surface Epitope Associated with a 66-Kilodalton Antigen Recognized by Monoclonal Antibody EM-7G1 within Serotypes of Listeria monocytogenes Grown in Nonselective and Selective Broths. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 3070-3074 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Behari, J., Youngman, P. (1998). Regulation of hly Expression in Listeria monocytogenes by Carbon Sources and pH Occurs through Separate Mechanisms Mediated by PrfA. Infect. Immun. 66: 3635-3642 [Abstract] [Full Text]