ArticleJournal of bacteriology2003
Transient association of an alternative sigma factor, ComX, with RNA polymerase during the period of competence for genetic transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Article in Journal of bacteriology, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers.
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Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed, 153 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinically relevant genomic and phenotypic differences in virulence, antimicrobial resistance, and biofilm-associated tolerance between Streptococcus suis lineages ST1 and ST123.Veterinary research · 2026Article
- A ComX-based strategy for artificially inducing competence in naturally non-transformableApplied and environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Rgg/SHP transcriptional regulators, RaS-RiPPs, and their impacts in streptococci.F1000Research · 2026Review
- Fluoride triggers lysis inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Deciphering the Regulatory Role and Molecular Interactions That Drive the Competence Regulon Quorum Sensing Circuitry inBiochemistry · 2025Article
- Structure, Function, and Regulation of LytA: TheMicroorganisms · 2025Review
- Competence Regulation inCurrent medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Molecular mechanisms and applications of natural transformation in bacteria.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Comparative analysis of theFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- The SpxA1-TenA toxin-antitoxin system regulates epigenetic variations of Streptococcus pneumoniae by targeting protein synthesis.PLoS pathogens · 2024Article
- Signal recognition particle RNA is critical for genetic competence and virulence ofJournal of bacteriology · 2024Article
- Article
- SPD_0410 negatively regulates capsule polysaccharide synthesis and virulence inFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Fever-like temperature bursts promote competence development via an HtrA-dependent pathway in Streptococcus pneumoniae.PLoS genetics · 2023Article
- Experimental promoter identification of a foodborne pathogenFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Expanding natural transformation to improve beneficial lactic acid bacteria.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2022Article
- MgaVirulence · 2021Article
- Microbial Lipopeptide-Producing Strains and Their Metabolic Roles under Anaerobic Conditions.Microorganisms · 2021Review
- CrfP, a fratricide protein, contributes to natural transformation in Streptococcus suis.Veterinary research · 2021Article
- Article
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Natural transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae is regulated by a quorum-sensing system that acts through accumulation and sensing of a peptide pheromone (competence-stimulating peptide [CSP]) to control many competence-specific genes acting in DNA uptake, processing, and integration. The period of competence induced by CSP lasts only 15 min (quarter-height peak width). The recently identified regulator ComX is required for the CSP-dependent expression of many competence-specific genes that share an unusual consensus sequence (TACGAATA) at their promoter regions. To test the hypothesis that this regulator acts as a transient alternative sigma factor, ComX was purified from an Escherichia coli overexpression strain and core RNA polymerase was purified from a comX-deficient S. pneumoniae strain. The reconstituted ComX-polymerase holoenzyme produced transcripts for the competence-specific genes ssbB, cinA, cglA, celA, and dalA and was inhibited by anti-ComX antibody, but not by anti-sigma(70) antibody. Western blotting using antibodies specific for ComX, sigma(70), and poly-His revealed a transient presence of ComX for a period of 15 to 20 min after CSP treatment, while RNA polymerase remained at a constant level and sigma(A) remained between 60 and 125% of its normal level. ComX reached a molar ratio to RNA polymerase of at least 1.5. We conclude that ComX is unstable and acts as a competence-specific sigma factor.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.