Disease relevance of degP

• Characterization of degP, a gene required for proteolysis in the cell envelope and essential for growth of Escherichia coli at high temperature [1].
• A degP (htrA)-like gene of Bradyrhizobium japonicum was identified immediately downstream of two genes (hspB and hspC) coding for small heat-shock proteins [2].

High impact information on degP

• To analyze the transcriptional regulation of degP, we examined mutations that altered transcription of a degP-lacZ operon fusion [3].
• The virulence of the degP deletion mutant, in contrast, could be restored [4].
• Unlike degP mutants in other bacteria, the E. coli degP mutant is tolerant of oxidative stress [4].
• However, complementation with a degP allele encoding a serine-to-alanine (S210A) mutation at the protease active site fails to restore virulence [4].
• The overexpression of the envelope lipoprotein, NlpE, which induces the Cpx regulon, was also found to suppress the temperature-sensitive phenotype of degP mutants but did not prevent the degradation of phospholipids [5].

Biological context of degP

• The lethal phenotype of mutant OmpF proteins in a degP null background was eliminated when a protease-deficient DegP(S210A) protein was overproduced [6].
• Analysis of deletion and insertion mutations on one of these plasmids showed that the degP gene is approximately 1.5 kilobases in size [1].
• The degP gene, required for proteolysis in the cell envelope of Escherichia coli, maps at approximately 3.5 min on the chromosome [1].
• Two mutants, a degP insertion mutant and a DeltahspBCdegP mutant, were constructed by marker replacement mutagenesis [2].
• This is accompanied by induction of degP expression, as a result of the activation of the RpoE (SigmaE) extra-cytoplasmic stress response, and activation of the psp operon [7].

Anatomical context of degP

• High-level accumulation of a recombinant antibody fragment in the periplasm of Escherichia coli requires a triple-mutant (degP prc spr) host strain [8].

Regulatory relationships of degP

• The arabinose-inducibility was also investigated in the expression system with the coexistence of the trc promoter system regulating pac expression and another arabinose-inducible promoter system of araB regulating degP coexpression [9].

References