A plasmid-encoded two-component regulatory system involved in copper-inducible transcription in Lactococcus lactis

Two regulatory genes ( lcoR and lcoS) were identified from a plasmid-borne lactococcal copper resistance determinant and characterized by transcriptional fusion to the promoterless chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene ( cat). RT–PCR analysis indicates that lcoR and lcoS are organized within an operon, controlling the transcription of cat in a copper-inducible manner. The amino acid sequences deduced from lcoR and lcoS show homology to the response and sensor proteins of known two-component regulatory systems. Deletion within either lcoS or both genes inactivated the copper-dependent activity, suggesting the presence of no trans-acting lcoR and lcoS homologs in the lactococcal host chromosome. The transcription start site involved in copper induction was mapped by primer extension.