Phenotypic Analysis of the Regulatory Role of the Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein (LrpPA) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

<p>Nutrient acquisition is critical to survival and infection by the opportunistic bacterium <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>. This pathogen expresses a number of virulence factors that are a part of the starvation response and are important in host-pathogen interactions. Additionally, <em>P. aeruginosa</em> is resistant to a large number of antibiotics and has become difficult to treat once it has colonized a tissue. New pharmaceutical treatments are sought while the metabolism of this organism must be fully understood to select new targets for therapy. The leucine- responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) could be a promising target for treatment. The ortholog in <em>Escherichia coli</em> is a global regulator of metabolism and regulates many genes related to amino acid degradation, transport and synthesis. There are structural and functional similarities that indicate that Lrp in both species plays a similar role. In this study, the role of Lrp in <em>P. aeruginosa</em> was investigated using a microbial and molecular approach to determine if Lrp regulates more genes than the published single operon, <em>dadRAX</em>. The results of this study suggest that Lrp plays a role in regulating important virulence factors and growth patterns in both nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor media, and thus may act as a global regulator in the metabolism of <em>P. aeruginosa</em>.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Larson, Stephanie D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Melanie Griffin
• Dr. Donald McGarey
• Dr. Carol Chrestensen

• nutrient acquisition
• pseudomonas aeruginosa
• pathogens
• leucine-responsive regulatory protein
• escherichia coli
• Biology
• Integrative Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu:integrbiol_etd-1000