The genes espA espB and espD are found within the LEE4 operon of EPEC [13, 14]. Evidence suggests that zinc dependent down regulation of LEE4 involves the global regulator protein Ler, encoded within the LEE1 operon. Zinc also reduces expression of LEE1, and thus Ler [11].

In our current study we sought to understand the underlying mechanism of how zinc reduces the expression of LEE genes of EPEC. We found no evidence to suggest that zinc directly acts on the regulatory protein Ler. Rather, we present evidence that zinc causes EPEC envelope stress, leading to a σ E-dependent stress response characterized by increased expression of rpoE. Treating EPEC with ammonium metavanadate (NH4VO3) – a known chemical inducer of the σ E-dependent response

– caused a reduction in type III-dependent secretion Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor similar to that observed in the presence of zinc. This is a first account of a specific mechanism on how zinc supplements reduce the duration and severity of disease caused by EPEC and related diarrhoeal pathogens. Results Millimolar concentrations of zinc are required to inhibit Ler binding Previous studies indicated that exogenous zinc diminished EPEC pathogenesis, in part, by inhibiting expression of virulence genes. Specifically, expression of genes of the LEE, encoding components of the type III secretion system, were reduced in the presence of 0.1 to 0.5 mM zinc acetate [11, 15]. Data suggested that, for the LEE4 operon, encoding espA, zinc-dependent

down-regulation OICR-9429 required the global regulator Ler [14], which controls expression of the LEE4 operon. Thus we initially posited that upon zinc stress cytoplasmic concentrations of this metal ion prevented Ler binding to LEE4 regulatory DNA. To test this hypothesis, we performed electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) using purified components (Figure 1). One hundred nanograms of LEE4 regulatory DNA was incubated with 500 nM Ler protein with increasing amounts of zinc acetate. In the absence of added zinc, the Ler/DNA complex migrated poorly into the polyacrylamide gel compared to the DNA fragment alone, consistent with previously published data [16, 17]. Concentrations of added zinc acetate up to 100 μM showed no buy Atezolizumab effect on the ability of Ler protein to bind and shift the LEE4 regulatory DNA (Figure 1). At 1000 μM, or 1 mM, zinc acetate we observed reduction in the ability of Ler to bind LEE4 DNA by 80%. Thus in vitro, millimolar concentrations of zinc were necessary to disrupt Ler binding to regulatory DNA sequences. Figure 1 Sub-millimolar zinc does not interfere with Ler binding to the  LEE4  operon in vitro. Ler binding to a fragment containing the LEE4 promoter (bases -468 to +460 relative to the transcription start point) was assessed by EMSA in the presence of varied zinc acetate concentrations.