Detection of multiple extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors in the genome of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and their counterparts in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01.

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is highly successful in colonizing a variety habitats, including aquatic and edaphic niches. In accordance with this ability and with the need to adapt to changing environmental conditions, P. putida has developed sophisticated mechanisms of transcriptional regulation. We analysed, at the genome level, the repertoire of sigma factors in P. putida KT2440 and identified 24 sigma factors, 19 of which corresponded to the subfamily of extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors. We detected 13 ECF sigma factors that showed similarity to the Escherichia coli FecI sigma factor, which is involved in iron acquisition. In 11 cases, a fecR-like gene was found adjacent to the fecI-like gene and, in 10 cases, a gene encoding an iron receptor lies in the vicinity of the fecI/fecR cluster. This may explain the ability of P. putida KT2440 to grow under low iron availability conditions. Five fecI/fecR/iron receptor gene clusters from P. putida were also identified in the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.