An ECF41 Family σ Factor Controls Motility and Biogenesis of Lateral Flagella in Azospirillum brasilense Sp245
Ashutosh Prakash Dubey, Parul Pandey, V. S. Singh, Mukti Nath Mishra, Sudhir Singh, Rajeev Mishra, Anil Kumar Tripathi
Abstract
Among extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors, ECF41-type σ factors are unique due to the presence of a large C-terminal extension in place of a cognate anti-σ factor, which regulates their activity. Despite their wide distribution and abundance in bacterial genomes, their physiological or behavioral roles are not known. We show here an indirect negative role of an ECF41-type of σ factor in the expression of lateral flagellar genes and motility in A. brasilense . This study suggests that the motility of A. brasilense might be controlled by a regulatory cascade involving RpoE10, an unknown repressor, LafR1, and lateral flagellar genes, including that encoding Laf1.