Microorganisms in their genomes harbor a variety of transcriptional regulators that interact and compete with core RNA polymerases to transcribe gene expression to cope with changing environmental conditions. The number of these regulators can vary in microorganisms depending on their lifestyle and fluctuations in external and internal environmental factors such as temperature pH, salinity, nutrient supply, and antibiosis etc. Under ambient conditions, most genes required for metabolic process are controlled by the housekeeping sigma factor also known as RpoD or σ70. However, microorganism also uses alternative sigma factors such as RpoN or σ54 for nitrogen metabolism, RpoH or σ32 for heat stress, RpoS for stationary phase stress, and RpoE or σ24 to regulate oxidative stress and other extra-cytoplasmic stresses. Transcription factors (TFs) such as MarR family, GntR family, TetR family, and CRP/FNR family controls expression of antibiotics resistance, pathogenicity, biofilm and other numerous biological processes. These alternative regulators and transcription factors differs with each other by possessing structurally distinct domains involved in interaction with their specific binding sites or consensus sequences called promoters. Multiple interacting partners and cross-talk among different regulators can interplay in sensing and controlling the transcription of genes under changing environmental conditions. Therefore, molecular analysis of the role and regulation of transcriptional regulators is vital to understand microbial process like stress adaptation, drug resistance, virulence, and disease progression.
Transcription is the first step involved in gene expression where DNA is copied into RNA which is then translated into proteins to control various biological processes.
This research topic focuses on the role and regulation of sigma factors and transcription factors governing initiation of gene expression under various physiological and stress conditions:
1) The role of alternative sigma factors, and transcription factors in the physiology of bacteria under diverse environmental stresses
2) Transcriptional regulation of virulence, drug-resistance, and biofilm development
3) Regulation of transport, metabolic pathways, and secondary metabolites
4) Environmental sensing mechanism and regulation of gene expression
5) Transcriptional regulators as potential targets to develop novel anti-microbial therapeutics
Microorganisms in their genomes harbor a variety of transcriptional regulators that interact and compete with core RNA polymerases to transcribe gene expression to cope with changing environmental conditions. The number of these regulators can vary in microorganisms depending on their lifestyle and fluctuations in external and internal environmental factors such as temperature pH, salinity, nutrient supply, and antibiosis etc. Under ambient conditions, most genes required for metabolic process are controlled by the housekeeping sigma factor also known as RpoD or σ70. However, microorganism also uses alternative sigma factors such as RpoN or σ54 for nitrogen metabolism, RpoH or σ32 for heat stress, RpoS for stationary phase stress, and RpoE or σ24 to regulate oxidative stress and other extra-cytoplasmic stresses. Transcription factors (TFs) such as MarR family, GntR family, TetR family, and CRP/FNR family controls expression of antibiotics resistance, pathogenicity, biofilm and other numerous biological processes. These alternative regulators and transcription factors differs with each other by possessing structurally distinct domains involved in interaction with their specific binding sites or consensus sequences called promoters. Multiple interacting partners and cross-talk among different regulators can interplay in sensing and controlling the transcription of genes under changing environmental conditions. Therefore, molecular analysis of the role and regulation of transcriptional regulators is vital to understand microbial process like stress adaptation, drug resistance, virulence, and disease progression.
Transcription is the first step involved in gene expression where DNA is copied into RNA which is then translated into proteins to control various biological processes.
This research topic focuses on the role and regulation of sigma factors and transcription factors governing initiation of gene expression under various physiological and stress conditions:
1) The role of alternative sigma factors, and transcription factors in the physiology of bacteria under diverse environmental stresses
2) Transcriptional regulation of virulence, drug-resistance, and biofilm development
3) Regulation of transport, metabolic pathways, and secondary metabolites
4) Environmental sensing mechanism and regulation of gene expression
5) Transcriptional regulators as potential targets to develop novel anti-microbial therapeutics