pseudotuberculosis [32] are attenuated in the mouse model. OmpR is a repressor of the inv gene, which encodes the major virulence determinant invasin in Y. enterocolitica [33]. In Y. pseudotuberculosis, OmpR regulates positively the urease expression to enhance acid survival [34], whereas it controls negatively the expression of FlhD and FlhC that form a heterohexameric transcriptional activator of the flagellar genes [35]. In this work, the ompR mutation likely had

not affect on the virulence of Y. pestis 201, which was a human-attenuated enzootic strain in a mouse model after subcutaneous infection (data not shown). AR-13324 concentration In this light, a further animal virulence test using a typical epidemic strain is hereby required. Global regulatory effect of OmpR in Y. pestis The microarray expression analysis disclosed a set of 224 genes that were affected by the ompR mutation in Y. pestis. A similar global regulatory effect

of OmpR has been observed in E. coli [36]. Real-time RT-PCR or lacZ fusion reporter assay further validated 16 OmpR-dependent genes, for which OmpR consensus-like sequences were found within their promoter regions. These 16 genes represent the candidates of direct OmpR targets in Y. pestis, of which ompR, C, F, and X were further characterized for the molecular mechanisms of regulation by OmpR. Transcriptional auto-stimulation of OmpR We confirmed the direct transcriptional auto-stimulation of ompR in Y. pestis. In addition, the ompR promoter activity was dramatically and persistently enhanced in Y. pestis with BMS202 in vitro the increasing medium osmolarity, which was mediated by OmpR itself. The auto-stimulation of the ompB selleck kinase inhibitor operon appears to be conserved in Y. pestis, E. coli, and S. enterica [3]. Tau-protein kinase The histone-like protein HN-S is a negative regulator of ompB expression in both E. coli [37] and S. enterica, and the role of OmpR-P in autoinduction is to help to counteract repression by H-NS [3]. In conclusion, transcription from the ompB promoter is repressed by H-NS and requires OmpR-P for induction; in addition, EnvZ (as a sensor kinase) and acetyl phosphate collaborate

to produce the optimum level of OmpR-P needed for autoinduction [3, 37]. Osmotic regulation of porins Previous works [38, 39] have proposed that the shift in cellular porin levels reflects the adaptation of enteric bacteria to a transition between a life in the mammalian gut as ‘high osmolarity’ and a free-living aqueous state as ‘low osmolarity.’ OmpC expression is favored in the gut, while OmpF is predominately expressed in the aqueous habitats. Compared to OmpF, OmpC has smaller pore and, hence, slower flux [39]. The smaller pore size of OmpC can aid in excluding harmful molecules, such as bile salts, in the gut. In the external aqueous environment, the larger pore size of OmpF can assist in scavenging for scarce nutrients. The amounts of OmpC and OmpF in the outer membrane of E.