The surface‐located YopN protein is involved in calcium signal transduction in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

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Abstract
Summary: The low‐calcium response (Icr) is strongly conserved among the pathogenic Yersinia species and is observed when the pathogen is grown at 37°C in Ca2+‐depleted medium. This response is characterized by a general metabolic downshift and by a specific induction of virulence‐plasmid‐encoded yop genes. Regulation of yop expression is exerted at transcriptional level by a temperature‐regulated activator and by Ca2+‐regulated negative elements. The yopN gene was shown to encode a protein (formerly also designated Yop4b) which is surface‐located when Yersmia is grown at 37°C. yopN was found to be part of an operon that is induced during the low‐calcium response. Insertional inactivation of the yopN gene resulted in derepressed transcription of yop genes. A hybrid plasmid containing the yopN gene under the control of the tac promoter fully restored the wild‐type phenotype of the yopN mutant. Thus the surface‐located YopN somehow senses the calcium concentration and transmits a signal to shut off yop transcription when the calcium concentration is high.

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