Cloning and sequence analysis of the evgAS genes involved in signal transduction of Escherichia coli K-12.

We have cloned and sequenced new Escherichia coli genes which belong to member of the family of environmentally responsive two-component system and named evgA and evgS because their amino acid sequences were found the most homologus to the Bordetella pertussis bvgA and bvgS. They were mapped at 51 min. and extending from 6B9 to 7G9 in the Kohara miniset library of the E. coli chromosome. In fact, both EvgA and EvgS proteins predicted from their DNA sequences were identified in the in vitro coupled transcription translation system. When the evgA and evgS were expressed on multiple copy plasmid in an envZ deletion strain, ompC expression was also regulated by temperature, MgSO4 and nicotinic acid, by which virulence of Bordetella pertussis is controlled via BvgA and BvgS. These results indicate that ompC expression was controlled by in vivo cross-talk via EvgA and EvgS which can work in E. coli the same way as BvgA and BvgS.