NtrC-dependent control of exopolysaccharide synthesis and motility in Burkholderia cenocepacia H111. Burkholderia cenocepacia H111

Burkholderia cenocepacia is a versatile opportunistic pathogen that survives in a wide variety of environments, which can be limited in nutrients such as nitrogen. We previously showed that B. cenocepacia sigma factor s54 played a major role in control of nitrogen assimilation and virulence. In this work, we investigated the role of the s54 enhancer binding protein NtrC in controlling the response to nitrogen limitation and virulence. RNA-Seq analyses and phenotypical analysis on a ntrC mutant strain showed that, in addition to orchestrating uptake of nitrogen sources, NtrC is also regulating exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and motility. A search for NtrC consensus sequences identified a potential binding sequence in the promoter region of gene clusters involved in EPS formation and flagellar rotation suggesting that NtrC directly controls the expression of these phenotypic traits in B. cenocepacia H111. Overall design: NtrC regulon in B. cenocepacia