Volume 35, Number 1, 45-52, DOI: 10.1007/s00726-007-0635-8

Effect of histamine on the signal transduction of the AtoS–AtoC two component system and involvement in poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate biosynthesis in Escherichia coli

D. A. Kyriakidis, M. C. Theodorou, P. S. Filippou, K. D. Kyriakidis and E. Tiligada

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Abstract

AtoS–AtoC two-component system acts directly on the atoDAEB operon transcription to regulate the biosynthesis of short-chain poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate. This study sought to investigate the effect of histamine and compound 48/80 on the regulation of AtoS–AtoC two-component system in Escherichia coli K-12 MA255 (speC , speB ) and the isogenic E. coli strains BW25113 (atoSC +) and BW28878 (ΔatoSC) transformed with plasmids carrying related genes. Histamine or compound 48/80 induced or tended to reduce atoC transcription, respectively, while neither compound showed any effect on atoDAEB operon transcription. Moreover, histamine down-regulated poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate biosynthesis, whereas compound 48/80 up-regulated its biosynthesis, maximal induction being obtained in the presence of multiple copies of AtoS–AtoC. Interestingly, co-administration of histamine counteracted this inductive effect of compound 48/80. The reported data provide the first evidence for a differential modulator role of histamine and compound 48/80 on the AtoS–AtoC two-component system signaling in potentially pathogenic bacteria, leading to a new perspective on their symbiotic behavior.

Keywords: AtoS–AtoC – Compound 48/80 – Escherichia coli – Histamine – Poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate – Two-component system

Authors’ address: Ekaterini Tiligada, PhD (Wales), Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Athens, M. Asias 75, GR-115 27 Athens, Greece

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