An Invertible Element of DNA Controls Phase Variation of Type 1 Fimbriae of Escherichia coli

The expression of type 1 fimbriae (pili) of Escherichia coli is turned on and off at the transcriptional level at a high frequency (10-3per cell per generation) in a process termed phase variation. Using Southern blot and DNA sequence analysis, we have detected a genomic rearrangement in the switch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1985-09, Vol.82 (17), p.5724-5727
Main Authors: Abraham, John M., Freitag, Cynthia S., Clements, Janice R., Eisenstein, Barry I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteriology
Bacteriophages
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Chromosome Inversion
DNA
DNA probes
DNA, Bacterial - genetics
Enzymes
Escherichia coli - genetics
Fimbriae
Fimbriae, Bacterial
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Expression Regulation
Genes
Genes, Regulator
Genetic Linkage
Genetic variation
Genetics
Microbiology
Nucleotide sequences
Operons
Phenotypes
Promoter regions
Promoter Regions, Genetic
Recombination, Genetic
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Summary:The expression of type 1 fimbriae (pili) of Escherichia coli is turned on and off at the transcriptional level at a high frequency (10-3per cell per generation) in a process termed phase variation. Using Southern blot and DNA sequence analysis, we have detected a genomic rearrangement in the switch region immediately upstream of the fimbrial structural gene. This rearrangement involves an invertible 314-base-pair segment of DNA whose alternating orientation apparently results in the on-and-off activation of a promoter that determines the state of fimbrial expression.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.82.17.5724