CitA/CitB Two-Component System Regulating Citrate Fermentation in Escherichia coli and Its Relation to the DcuS/DcuR System In Vivo

ABSTRACT Citrate fermentation by Escherichia coli requires the function of the citrate/succinate antiporter CitT ( citT gene) and of citrate lyase ( citCDEFXG genes). Earlier experiments suggested that the two-component system CitA/CitB, consisting of the membrane-bound sensor kinase CitA and the response regulator CitB, stimulates the expression of the genes in the presence of citrate, similarly to CitA/CitB of Klebsiella pneumoniae . In this study, the expression of a chromosomal citC-lacZ gene fusion was shown to depend on CitA/CitB and citrate. CitA/CitB is related to the DcuS/DcuR two-component system which induces the expression of genes for fumarate respiration in response to C 4 -di…