Control by Fur of the nitrate respiration regulators NarP and NarL in Salmonella enterica

Abstract

Anaerobic metabolism is controlled by several transcriptional regulators, including ArcA, Fnr, NarP, and NarL, with the Fnr and ArcA proteins sensitive to the cell’s redox status. Specifically, the two-component ArcAB system is activated in response to the oxidation state of membrane-bound quinones, which are the central electron carriers of respiration. Fnr, by contrast, directly senses cellular oxidation status through the [4Fe-4S] cluster present in its own structure. In this study, a third additional redox-associated pathway that controls the nitrate respiration regulators NarL and NarP was identified. The results showed that, in Salmonella enterica, the expression of these two transcriptional regulators is under the control of Fur, a metalloregulator that senses the presence of Fe2+ and regulates the homeostasis of this cation inside the cell. Thus, the Fur- Fe2+ complex increases the expression of narL and represses that of narP. Furthermore, studies of S. enteric mutants defective in the Fur-regulated sRNA RfrA and RfrB showed that those sRNA control both narP and narL expression. These results confirm Fur as a global regulator based on its involvement not only in iron uptake and detoxification but also in the control of nitrate/nitrite respiration by sensing cellular redox status. [Int Microbiol 2010; 13(1):33-39]