Iron-dependent regulation of gene expression in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

Walker, Caray A. (2009) Iron-dependent regulation of gene expression in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This study set out to analyse C. pseudotuberculosis within an environment relevant to that which would be encountered within its natural host. The impact of the availability of iron within the growth environment of numerous bacteria has been widely reported, and an equivalent investigation was conducted to determine whether the same was true of C. pseudotuberculosis. To this end, a novel chemically-defined medium was designed, which supported the growth of C. pseudotuberculosis, but in which the concentration of specific growth factors could be manipulated. Subsequently, iron was shown to be essential for C. pseudotuberculosis growth, and analysis of secreted protein profiles revealed differential expression between low- and high-iron growth conditions. Furthermore, growth experiments conducted in the defined medium revealed that C. pseudotuberculosis is capable of obtaining iron from the host iron-binding proteins, transferrin and lactoferrin. The results presented in this thesis confirm the importance of iron to C. pseudotuberculosis, and reveal the existence of an iron-dependent regulator which is involved in regulating the expression of multiple target genes.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: Q Science > QR Microbiology; Q Science > QH Natural history > QH426 Genetics
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Supervisor's Name: Fontaine, Dr. M.C., Donachie, Prof. W. and Smith, Prof. D.G.E.
• Date of Award: 2009
• Depositing User: Miss Caray A Walker
• Unique ID: glathesis:2009-1392
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 17 Aug 2010
• Last Modified: 09 Oct 2014 14:58
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/1392