Hyperexpression of the osmB gene in an acidic phospholipid-deficient Escherichia coli mutant

An Escherichia coli pgsA null mutant deficient in acidic phospholipids shows a thermosensitive cell lysis phenotype because of activation of the Rcs phosphorelay signal transduction system. We conducted a DNA microarray analysis with special attention to the genes affected by growth temperature in the mutant deficient in acidic phospholipids. Among the genes identified as highly expressed at high temperature in the pgsA null mutant, the osmB gene was shown to be dependent on the Rcs system for the high expression by dot blot hybridization. Induction of the cloned osmB in the pgsA null mutant caused the thermosensitive defect even in the absence of the Rcs system. Although the deletion of osmB did not suppress the thermosensitivity in the presence of the Rcs system, indicating a multifactorial nature of the deleterious effect of the Rcs activation, we suggest that the osmB hyperexpression is one of the causes of the Rcs-dependent lysis phenotype of the pgsA null mutant.