Studies of the <b><i>Listeria monocytogenes</i></b> Cellobiose Transport Components and Their Impact on Virulence Gene Repression

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Many bacteria transport cellobiose via a phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS). In <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>, two pairs of soluble PTS components (EIIA^Cel1/EIIB^Cel1 and EIIA^Cel2/EIIB^Cel2) and the permease EIIC^Cel1 were suggested to contribute to cellobiose uptake. Interestingly, utilization of several carbohydrates, including cellobiose, strongly represses virulence gene expression by inhibiting PrfA, the virulence gene activator. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The LevR-like transcription regulator CelR activates expression of the cellobiose-induced PTS operons <i>celB1</i>-<i>celC1</i>-<i>celA1</i>, <i>celB2</i>-<i>celA2</i>, and the EIIC-encoding monocistronic <i>celC2</i>. Phosphorylation by P∼His-HPr at His550 activates CelR, whereas phosphorylation by P∼EIIB^Cel1 or P∼EIIB^Cel2 at His823 inhibits it. Replacement of His823 with Ala or deletion of both <i>celA</i> or <i>celB</i> genes caused constitutive CelR regulon expression. Mutants lacking EIIC^Cel1, CelR or both EIIA^Cel exhibited<i></i>slow cellobiose consumption. Deletion of <i>celC1</i> or <i>celR</i> prevented virulence gene repression by the disaccharide, but not by glucose and fructose. Surprisingly, deletion of both <i>celA</i> genes caused virulence gene repression even during growth on non-repressing carbohydrates. No cellobiose-related phenotype was found for the <i>celC2</i> mutant. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The two EIIA/B^Cel pairs are similarly efficient as phosphoryl donors in EIIC^Cel1-catalyzed cellobiose transport and CelR regulation. The permanent virulence gene repression in the <i>celA</i> double mutant further supports a role of PTS^Cel components in PrfA regulation.