Thermal regulation of membrane lipid fluidity by a two-component system in Bacillus subtilis
✍ Scribed by L.M. Bredeston; D. Marciano; D. Albanesi; D. De Mendoza; J. M. Delfino
- Publisher
- The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Year
- 2011
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 436 KB
- Volume
- 39
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1470-8175
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
This article describes a simple and robust laboratory exercise on the regulation of membrane unsaturated fatty acid composition in bacteria by a decrease in growth temperature. We take advantage of the well characterized Des pathway of Bacillus subtilis, composed of a Δ5‐desaturase (encoded by the des gene) and the canonical two‐component system DesK‐DesR, to study the transcriptional regulation of des during cold shock. Students analyze the expression of a reporter transcriptional fusion between the des promoter and the bacterial lacZ gene in a wild‐type B. subtilis strain and in des or desK‐desR mutants grown under different culture conditions. Measurements of β‐galactosidase activity allow them to investigate how the Des pathway works and to assess the role of each component of this regulatory system. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 2011