Disease relevance of fliA

• In analyzing the sequence available at the Pseudomonas genome database, an open reading frame (ORF), flanked by flagellar genes flhF and fliA, that coded for a protein (280 amino acids) with an ATP-binding motif at its N terminus was found [1].
• Remarkably the fliA gene from the extreme thermophile Aquifex aeolicus restored motility to the E. coli mutant at relatively low temperature, albeit partially [2].
• Using the published sequence of the fliA gene encoding the sigma 28 from Salmonella typhimurium, we designed two oligonucleotides and, using the polymerase chain reaction, isolated the fliA gene from S. typhimurium chromosomal DNA [3].
• The alternative sigma factor sigma28 of Legionella pneumophila restores flagellation and motility to an Escherichia coli fliA mutant [4].

High impact information on fliA

• Class I genes are constitutively expressed and include the transcriptional regulator fleQ and the alternative sigma factor fliA (sigma28) [5].
• A reading frame downstream of fliA was found to encode the P. aeruginosa homologue of the enterobacterial cheY gene [3].
• Insertional inactivation of the fliA gene with a gentamicin gene cassette rendered P. aeruginosa nonmotile and unable to express the flagellin gene [3].
• The new locations for the outer membrane enterobactin iron-siderophore receptor ent gene (41 to 42 min) and the fliA gene (59 to 61 min), which encodes a minor sigma factor of RNA polymerase, are given [6].

References