Transcriptional Regulation of Unsaturated Fatty Acid Biosynthesis in Mycobacteria

Presenter

Tristan Grieve

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Yasu S. Morita, Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 4, 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A41, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 3 (A41-A60) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Mycobacteria are responsible for diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy. Their cell wall and plasma membrane complex are an important research topic for the discovery of novel drug targets. DesA3, a fatty acid desaturase, fluidizes the plasma membrane by converting stearic acid to the more fluid oleic acid in membrane phospholipids. MSMEG_5424, a TetR-like negative repressor, represses the expression of desA3. We hypothesize that in the absence of MSMEG_5424, desA3 expression becomes derepressed, leading to the fluidization of the plasma membrane and an increased sensitivity to membrane fluidity stress than wild type. We constructed a deletion mutant, ∆5424, using oligonucleotide-mediated recombineering followed by Bxb1 integrase targeting (ORBIT). The deletion of MSMEG_5424 was confirmed by amplification of a gene replacement junction and the absence of amplification of the target gene by PCR. Phenotypic characterization is currently underway, and we plan to test the mutant’s sensitivities to membrane stressors including UV light, dibucaine hydrochloride, benzyl alcohol, and heat.

Keywords

microbiology, membrane stress response, gene regulation, mycobacteria

Research Area

Biological Organisms

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