Regulatory mechanisms of cold shock response and stationary phase survival in Caulobacter crescentus

• Grant number: 09/17405-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2010
• End date: August 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Marilis Do Valle Marques
• Grantee: Marilis Do Valle Marques
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

As the bacterial population grows, cells face a progressive reduction of nutrient availability that brings the need to respond slowing the reproductive rate and resetting the metabolism to withstand a long starvation period. The physiological effects of low temperature are somewhat similar to those of nutrient starvation, in that there is a reduction of ribosome function. The sensing of environmental signals is crucial for the cell to reset its gene expression to face the new situation. Small proteins containing a Cold Shock Domain (CSP) are induced at low temperature and/or stationary phase, and act as RNA chaperones, facilitating translation under these conditions, and as gene regulators. The main goal of this project is to identify the environmental signals, signal transduction systems and regulatory mechanisms of these genes important for C. crescentus response to low temperature and stationary phase. (AU)