pH-dependent activation of the BarA-UvrY two-component system in Escherichia coli

The barA and uvrY genes of Escherichia coli encode a two-component sensor kinase and a response regulator, respectively. Although this system plays a major role in the regulation of central carbon metabolism, motility, and biofilm formation by controlling the expression of the CsrB and CsrC noncoding RNAs, the environmental conditions and the physiological signal(s) to which it responds remain obscure. In this study, we explored the effect of external pH on the activity of BarA/UvrY. Our results indicate that a pH lower than 5.5 provides an environment that does not allow activation of the BarA/UvrY signaling pathway.