ARS | Publication request: Analyses of the putative Crp/Fnr family of transciptional regulators of a serotype 4B strain of Listeria monocytogens

Submitted to: Food Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: March 15, 2005
Publication Date: May 13, 2005
Citation: Uhlich, G.A., Wonderling, L., Luchansky, J.B. 2005. Transposon mutagenesis of a crp/fnr family of regulators from a serotype 4b strain of listeria monocytogenes. Food Microbiology. 23(2006):300-3006.

Interpretive Summary: Genome sequencing has identified the complete set of genes, and their nucleotide sequences, for several strains of Listeria monocytogenes. Many of these genes have been either partially characterized, or their functions predicted based on sequence similarities to genes of other bacteria. However, the large majority of genes in these strains remain functionally uncharacterized. In this study we describe a system for exploring the function of unknown genes. We successfully used the system for a preliminary analyses of a family of predicted regulatory genes in L. monocytogenes and compared our results to the known function of family members in other bacteria.

Technical Abstract: The 15 predicted members of the Crp/Fnr family of regulatory genes in Listeria monocytogenes strain F2365 were cloned, subjected to in vitro transpositional mutagenesis, and recombined into strain F2365. There were no differences in utilization of preferred carbons or in reduced-oxygen growth rates between the mutant strains and strain F2365, suggesting functional differences between the Crp/Fnr proteins of L. monocytogenes and E. coli. However, mutant strain KO2 (orf 00085) showed reduced aerobic growth at 30 deg C, but not at 37 deg or 4 deg C.