Mechanisms of gene expression controlled by pressure in deep-sea microorganisms

A pressure-regulated operon has been cloned and sequenced from deep-sea barophilic Shewanella strains. To understand pressure-regulated mechanisms of gene expression, a regulatory element upstream of the pressure-regulated operon from Shewanella sp. strain DSS12 was studied. Regions A and B were classified by sequence analysis. A unique octamer motif, AAGGTAAG, was found to be repeated in tandem 13 times in region B. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that a σ⁵⁴-like factor recognizes region A and other unknown factors recognize region B. Different shift patterns of the protein–DNA complexes were observed when extracts of cells cultured at 0.1 MPa or 50 MPa were incubated with a DNA probe specific for region B. These results indicate that the deep-sea strain DSS12 expresses different DNA-binding factors under different pressure conditions. Received: January 22, 1998 / Accepted: February 16, 1998