In silico IDENTIFICATION OF TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATORY WAYS IN BIOFILMS OF Leptospira biflexa
transcriptional regulators, regulatory networks, pathways, leptospirosis.
Bacteria of the genus Leptospira comprehend 66 genomic species including pathogenic, intermediate and saprophytic groups. Pathogenic leptospires are the etiologic agent of leptospirosis, a disease of public health impact worldwide. Biofilms improve survival of microorganisms in hostile environments and are related to various medical conditions. Leptospira forms biofilms in vitro and in vivo. Nevertheless, the regulatory mechanisms of biofilm formation in Leptospira are poorly known. We aimed in this study to identify transcriptional regulators involved in biofilm formation in Leptospira biflexa and describe the co-regulation networks of these regulators. First, we collected transcriptional regulators predicted for Leptospira biflexa in the P2TF database. Than, a similarity search was conducted using BLASTp of those regulators against previous data from a Leptospira biflexa transcriptome analysis of biofilm versus planktonic cells, in two time points: 48h (mature) and 120 h (late). After identifying regulatory genes in Leptospira biflexa, we checked for their expression levels. We found 138 transcriptional regulators predicted for this species, comprising sigma factors, one-component systems, response regulators and other DNA-binding proteins. From those, 38 presented were identified as participating in biofilm regulation. Leptospira genomes are poorly known, with half of it composed of hypothetical proteins. We believe our results will pave the way for an initial comprehension of the regulatory mechanisms in Leptospira biofilm.