ScmR, a Global Regulator of Gene Expression, Quorum Sensing, pH Homeostasis, and Virulence in <i>Burkholderia thailandensis</i>
Servane Le Guillouzer, Marie‐Christine Groleau, Florian Mauffrey, Éric Déziel
Abstract
Coordination of the expression of genes associated with bacterial virulence and environmental adaptation is often dependent on quorum sensing (QS). The QS circuitry of the nonpathogenic bacterium Burkholderia thailandensis , widely used as a model system for the study of the human pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei , is complex. We found that the LysR-type transcriptional regulator, ScmR, which is highly conserved and involved in the control of virulence/survival factors in the Burkholderia genus, is a global regulator mediating gene expression through the multiple QS systems coexisting in B. thailandensis , as well as QS independently. We conclude that ScmR represents a key QS modulatory network element, ensuring tight regulation of the transcription of QS-controlled genes, particularly those required for acclimatization to the environment.