Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2016

Publication Title

Genes

Volume

7

Issue

12

First page number:

1

Last page number:

15

Abstract

The histone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS) has played a key role in shaping the evolution of Shigella spp., and provides the backdrop to the regulatory cascade that controls virulence by silencing many genes found on the large virulence plasmid. H-NS and its paralogue StpA are present in all four Shigella spp., but a second H-NS paralogue, Sfh, is found in the Shigella flexneri type strain 2457T, which is routinely used in studies of Shigella pathogenesis. While StpA and Sfh have been proposed to serve as “molecular backups” for H-NS, the apparent redundancy of these proteins is questioned by in vitro studies and work done in Escherichia coli. In this review, we describe the current understanding of the regulatory activities of the H-NS family members, the challenges associated with studying these proteins and their role in the regulation of virulence genes in Shigella.

Keywords

Anti-silencing mechanisms; H-NS; Shigella; Silencing mechanisms; Transcription; Virulence gene expression; Xenogeneic silencing

Disciplines

Life Sciences

File Format

pdf

File Size

3301

Language

English

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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