Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.02.10.941963

Putative TetR family transcriptional regulator Rv1019 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an auto-repressor and a negative regulator of mfd-mazG operon

Pushparajan, A. R.·Ramachandran, R.·Reji, J. G.·Ramakrishnan, A. K.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Regulation of gene expression at the level of transcription is one of the ways living organisms differentially make proteins in their cells. Intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis persists in the host for years in a latent state in structures called granuloma. Rv1019, a member of an uncharacterized TetR family of transcriptional regulators of Mtb H37Rv, was found to be differentially expressed during dormancy and reactivation in vitro. By GFP reporter assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and chromatin immuno-precipitation assays we showed that this protein binds to its own promoter and acts as a negative regulator of its own expression. It forms dimers in vitro which is essential for the DNA binding activity, which is abrogated in the presence of tetracycline. We show that Rv1019 and downstream genes Rv1020 (mfd), Rv1021 (mazG) are co-transcribed. Constitutive expression of Rv1019 in M. smegmatis downregulated MSMEG_5423 (mfd) and MSMEG_5422 (mazG) suggesting that Rv1019 negatively regulates these downstream genes. M. smegmatis expressing Rv1019 was found to be sensitive to UV and H2O2 compared to the control suggesting its role in regulating DNA damage response in mycobacterium. ImportanceOne of the reasons for our inability to eradicate tuberculosis, in spite of the availability of effective drugs and BCG vaccine, is the ingenuity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to survive, persist and multiply inside the lungs where it employs clever strategies to counter the host defence systems. The number of anti-TB drugs in the current therapeutic regimen is limited, and the long duration of treatment increases the chances for emergence of drug resistant bacteria. Rv1019, a transcriptional regulator differentially expressed in in vitro dormancy-reactivation studies, was found to be an auto-repressor and negatively regulating mfd-mazG operon involved in DNA repair. As Rv1019 is a regulator of critical pathways in bacterial persistence, it could be a prospective target for prophylactic intervention.

Source connections

Explore related subjects

microbiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Pushparajan, A. R., Ramachandran, R., Reji, J. G., Ramakrishnan, A. K.. 2020-02-10. Putative TetR family transcriptional regulator Rv1019 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an auto-repressor and a negative regulator of mfd-mazG operon. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.10.941963

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

A conserved cysteine-histidine-glutamate metal site identifies DUF501 (Rv1025), an essential uncharacterised protein family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a candidate metalloenzyme and drug target

A substantial fraction of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome remains functionally uncharacterised. Rv1025, a 155-residue protein carrying the domain of unknown function DUF501 (Pfam PF04417), is essential by transposon mutagenesis and vulnerable by CRISPR interference, an attractive but neglected drug target, yet has never been functionally described. The family (4,370 proteins, no Gene Ontology term, no solved structure) is uncharacterised across all organisms and essential in three Actinobacterial genera. A Foldseek search of the AlphaFold model against complete structural databases finds no significant homolog, indicating a novel fold. The operon eno-divIC-Rv1025-ppx2 is conserved across the Actinobacteria phylum, yet AlphaFold-Multimer finds no direct complex between Rv1025 and its neighbour DivIC. Instead, conservation across 8,700 homologous sequences reveals a near-invariant Cys113-His115-Glu59 cluster forming a pocket. Holo AlphaFold3 predictions with Zn, Fe and Mn confidently place a divalent metal on this triad at 2.25-2.47 A; mutating the triad relocates the metal, and an independent backbone-geometry predictor recovers the same site, confirming specificity. The triad is universal across the family: present in all 1,472 near-complete bacterial sequences of the Pfam alignment, with no non-conservative substitution among the 2,228 sequences examined, a defining feature of bacterial DUF501 rather than a mycobacterial peculiarity. We propose that DUF501 is a metal-binding protein and candidate metalloenzyme, the first functional hypothesis for this family, whose conserved, essential metal pocket is a promising drug target. As the predictions build on a conservation-defined site within a fully computational study, they are supportive rather than proof of metal occupancy and warrant experimental validation.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Mycoplasmal endosymbionts of Trichomonas vaginalis are associated with reduced risk for Chlamydia trachomatis endometrial infection in asymptomatic, coinfected, women.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis, the most common curable non-viral sexually transmitted infection, and Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen that can ascend to the upper genital tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. T. vaginalis harbors bacterial endosymbionts, including Candidatus Malacoplasma girerdii, an obligate symbiont, and Metamycoplasma hominis, which can live freely or symbiotically. In a 16S rRNA sequencing study of the cervicovaginal microbiome of women at high risk for chlamydial infection, Ca. M. girerdii abundance was one of 13 features predicting lack of chlamydial spread to the endometrium, despite no direct association between T. vaginalis infection and reduced chlamydial ascension. Investigating the relationship between these microorganisms further, we found that T. vaginalis vaginal abundance correlated positively with chlamydial burden in women whose infection was confined to the cervix, while a nonsignificant inverse relationship was seen in women with endometrial spread. Among participants with high chlamydial burden, Ca. M. girerdii was detected exclusively in women without endometrial infection. Both endosymbionts trended toward more frequent detection, and higher abundance, in coinfected women without endometrial spread, while M. hominis abundance correlated strongly with T. vaginalis burden in this group. These findings suggest that mycoplasmal endosymbionts of T. vaginalis, rather than T. vaginalis itself, are microbial factors limiting chlamydial ascension, and point to a three-way interaction between parasite, endosymbiont, and bacterial pathogen that shapes upper genital tract C. trachomatis infection risk.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Understanding the physiological alterations of Vibrio cholerae upon exposure to L-ascorbic acid

The scourge of cholera remains a major global public health threat. It affects up to 4 million people worldwide and causes tens of thousands of deaths each year. The disease is experiencing a concerning resurgence in many parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. To effectively tackle cholera and circumvent rising antimicrobial resistance, targeted biological and preventive approaches, complementing traditional rehydration, are urgently needed. In this regard, our group has demonstrated the efficacy of L-ascorbic acid in controlling the growth and pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae in vitro. The present work further provides a mechanistic elucidation of the L-ascorbic acid-mediated physiological changes in V. cholerae and also bolsters such a non-antibiotic approach to control cholera.

microbiology↗