Positive regulation of pertussis toxin expression

Although the genus Bordetella contains several closely related species, pertussis toxin (PT) is produced only by phase I Bordetella pertussis. In this work we have studied the regulation of expression of the PT operon and investigated why PT is produced by phase I and not by phase III B. pertussis despite the presence of the PT genes. We have constructed a vector for Bordetella species that contains the PT promoter fused to the coding region of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene, and we have used it to identify the regulatory elements involved in the transcription of the PT operon. Efficient transcription of these genes requires at least two features: (i) the 170-base-pair DNA sequence upstream from the start site of transcription and (ii) a trans-activating factor encoded by the vir locus. Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica, although endowed with a functional trans-activating system, do not produce PT because of mutations within their PT promoter regions. In contrast, phase III Bordetella species do not show any trans activity.