Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacillus, commonly infects immunocompromised individuals and uses a variety of virulence factors to persist in these hosts. The posttranscriptional regulator, RsmA, plays a role in the expression of many virulence factors in P. aeruginosa. RsmA up regulates virulence factors used in colonizing hosts. However, regulation of rsmA is not well elucidated. Transposon mutagenesis was performed on P. aeruginosa containing a transcriptional rsmA-lacZ fusion to answer this question. Mutants were screened via β-galactosidase assay and transposon insertions identified via arbitrary PCR. A probable MFS transporter, we named mtpX, was one significant transposon mutant identified. A ΔmtpX mutant containing the rsmA-lacZ transcriptional fusion was constructed to confirm our results. Further analysis of rsmA, looking at RNA and protein levels, revealed varying results in nonmucoid versus mucoid backgrounds. Phenotypic assays were performed to characterize this unknown transporter and develop a putative mechanism as to how MtpX affects rsmA expression.
","abstract_html":"<p><em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>, a Gram-negative bacillus, commonly infects immunocompromised individuals and uses a variety of virulence factors to persist in these hosts. The posttranscriptional regulator, RsmA, plays a role in the expression of many virulence factors in <em>P. aeruginosa</em>. RsmA up regulates virulence factors used in colonizing hosts. However, regulation of<em> rsmA</em> is not well elucidated. Transposon mutagenesis was performed on P. aeruginosa containing a transcriptional <em>rsmA-lacZ</em> fusion to answer this question. Mutants were screened via β-galactosidase assay and transposon insertions identified via arbitrary PCR. A probable MFS transporter, we named <em>mtpX</em>, was one significant transposon mutant identified. A <em>ΔmtpX</em> mutant containing the<em> rsmA-lacZ</em> transcriptional fusion was constructed to confirm our results. Further analysis of <em>rsmA</em>, looking at RNA and protein levels, revealed varying results in nonmucoid versus mucoid backgrounds. Phenotypic assays were performed to characterize this unknown transporter and develop a putative mechanism as to how MtpX affects <em>rsmA</em> expression.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Stacey, Sean D"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS (Master of Science)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:06Z","subjects":["Pseudomonas aeruginosa","RsmA","mucoid","Bacteria","Bacterial Infections and Mycoses","Biology","Medical Microbiology","Other Medicine and Health Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1232","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Stacey, Sean D"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-07-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2013-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS (Master of Science)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Pseudomonas aeruginosa","RsmA","mucoid","Bacteria","Bacterial Infections and Mycoses","Biology","Medical Microbiology","Other Medicine and Health Sciences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2388/viewcontent/StaceyS081013f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1232"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacillus, commonly infects immunocompromised individuals and uses a variety of virulence factors to persist in these hosts. The posttranscriptional regulator, RsmA, plays a role in the expression of many virulence factors in P. aeruginosa. RsmA up regulates virulence factors used in colonizing hosts. However, regulation of rsmA is not well elucidated. Transposon mutagenesis was performed on P. aeruginosa containing a transcriptional rsmA-lacZ fusion to answer this question. Mutants were screened via β-galactosidase assay and transposon insertions identified via arbitrary PCR. A probable MFS transporter, we named mtpX, was one significant transposon mutant identified. A ΔmtpX mutant containing the rsmA-lacZ transcriptional fusion was constructed to confirm our results. Further analysis of rsmA, looking at RNA and protein levels, revealed varying results in nonmucoid versus mucoid backgrounds. Phenotypic assays were performed to characterize this unknown transporter and develop a putative mechanism as to how MtpX affects rsmA expression.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Regulating rsmA Expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Stacey, Sean D"],"dc:date.available":["2014-07-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2013-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacillus, commonly infects immunocompromised individuals and uses a variety of virulence factors to persist in these hosts. The posttranscriptional regulator, RsmA, plays a role in the expression of many virulence factors in P. aeruginosa. RsmA up regulates virulence factors used in colonizing hosts. However, regulation of rsmA is not well elucidated. Transposon mutagenesis was performed on P. aeruginosa containing a transcriptional rsmA-lacZ fusion to answer this question. Mutants were screened via β-galactosidase assay and transposon insertions identified via arbitrary PCR. A probable MFS transporter, we named mtpX, was one significant transposon mutant identified. A ΔmtpX mutant containing the rsmA-lacZ transcriptional fusion was constructed to confirm our results. Further analysis of rsmA, looking at RNA and protein levels, revealed varying results in nonmucoid versus mucoid backgrounds. Phenotypic assays were performed to characterize this unknown transporter and develop a putative mechanism as to how MtpX affects rsmA expression.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2388/viewcontent/StaceyS081013f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1232"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["Pseudomonas aeruginosa","RsmA","mucoid","Bacteria","Bacterial Infections and Mycoses","Biology","Medical Microbiology","Other Medicine and Health Sciences"],"dc:title":["Regulating rsmA Expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - unrestricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS (Master of Science)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:06Z"}