Regulation of spvR gene expression of Salmonella virulence plasmid pKDSC50 in Salmonella choleraesuis serovar Choleraesuis

Abstract

The expression regulation of spvR, a regulatory gene on the virulence plasmid (pKDSC50) of Salmonella choleraesuis serovar Choleraesuis, was investigated by spvR–lacZ translational fusion. The spvR gene was found to be positively regulated by its own product, the SpvR protein, and this unusual positive auto‐regulation was repressed by the products of spvA and spvB, virulence‐associated genes present downstream from the spvR gene. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the amino‐terminal region of SpvB had homology with the CatM repressor protein of Acineto‐bacter calcoaceticus, which belongs to the MetR/LysR protein family. On the other hand, the sigma factor RpoS was required for expression of the spvR gene in the stationary phase of bacterial growth. The SpvR protein was also necessary for self‐activation, suggesting that an RNA polymerase holoenzyme containing RpoS requires SpvR protein in order to recognize the spvR promoter.