Identification of genes regulated in response to zinc starvation in Caulobacter crescentus

• Grant number: 11/18847-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2012
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Marilis Do Valle Marques
• Grantee: Ricardo Ruiz Mazzon
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Bacteria have to deal with the paradox emerged from metal requirements and its toxicity when in excess. The most common mechanism used is the regulation of genes involved in uptake, storage and efflux of metals. In zinc homeostasis, the uptake and storage mechanisms are generally regulated by the transcriptional repressor Zur, while efflux systems are regulated by different transcription activators. Caulobacter crescentus, an oligotrophic alfa-proteobacterium, has in its genome several genes potentially involved in uptake, storage and efflux of zinc. In this work, a global analysis of genes differentially expressed in response to zinc excess and starvation will be carried out using DNA microarrays. Transcriptional fusions of promoters to the lacZ reporter gene will be used to validate the results obtained in microarrays and also to identify Zur binding sites. The consensus sequence obtained will be used for an in silico analysis of the whole genome intergenic regions in order to find genes which are not present in DNA microarrays. The validation of these sites will be done by in vitro biochemical techniques and also by analysis of the expression of these genes in a zur mutant strain.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DA SILVA, CAROLINA A. P. T.; LOURENCO, ROGERIO F.; MAZZON, RICARDO R.; RIBEIRO, RODOLFO A.; MARQUES, MARILIS V.. Transcriptomic analysis of the stationary phase response regulator SpdR in Caulobacter crescentus. BMC Microbiology, v. 16, APR 12 2016. (14/04046-8, 11/18847-4, 12/10563-0, 11/17513-5)

MAZZON, RICARDO RUIZ; BRAZ, VANIA SANTOS; DA SILVA NETO, JOSE FREIRE; MARQUES, MARILIS DO VALLE. Analysis of the Caulobacter crescentus Zur regulon reveals novel insights in zinc acquisition by TonB-dependent outer membrane proteins. BMC Genomics, v. 15, AUG 28 2014. (11/18847-4)