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marA DNA-binding transcriptional dual regulator MarA [ Escherichia coli str. K-12 substr. MG1655 ]

Gene ID: 947613, updated on 25-Jun-2025
Official Symbol
marA
Official Full Name
DNA-binding transcriptional dual regulator MarA
Primary source
ECOCYC:EG11434
Locus tag
b1531
See related
ASAP:ABE-0005112
Gene type
protein coding
RefSeq status
PROVISIONAL
Organism
Escherichia coli str. K-12 substr. MG1655 (strain: K-12, substrain: MG1655)
Lineage
Bacteria; Pseudomonadota; Gammaproteobacteria; Enterobacterales; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia
Also known as
cfxB; ECK1524; inaR; nfxC; norB; soxQ
Summary
Martin (2002) provide some evidence in support of the this alternative ATG start: native protein is slightly smaller than the engineered protein by Western blot. [More information is available at EcoGene: EG11434]. MarA (multiple antibiotic resistance) belongs to the AraC/XylS family. [More information is available at EcoCyc: EG11434].
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Sequence:
NC_000913.3 (1619574..1619957)

NC_000913.3Genomic Context describing neighboring genes Neighboring gene inner membrane protein MarC Neighboring gene DNA-binding transcriptional repressor MarR Neighboring gene multiple antibiotic resistance protein MarB Neighboring gene cysteine/O-acetylserine exporter EamA

Genomic Sequence:
NC_000913.3

Go to nucleotide: Graphics FASTA GenBank

Related articles in PubMed

  1. Active degradation of MarA controls coordination of its downstream targets. Rossi NA, et al. PLoS Comput Biol, 2018 Dec. PMID 30589845, Free PMC Article
  2. The multiple antibiotic resistance operon of enteric bacteria controls DNA repair and outer membrane integrity. Sharma P, et al. Nat Commun, 2017 Nov 13. PMID 29133912, Free PMC Article
  3. Structural homology between MarA of the AraC family of transcriptional activators and the integrase family of site-specific recombinases. Gillette WK, et al. Mol Microbiol, 2000 Mar. PMID 10760157
  4. Gene in the major cotransduction gap of the Escherichia coli K-12 linkage map required for the expression of chromosomal resistance to tetracycline and other antibiotics. George AM, et al. J Bacteriol, 1983 Aug. PMID 6307967, Free PMC Article
  5. Promoter discrimination at class I MarA regulon promoters mediated by glutamic acid 89 of the MarA transcriptional activator of Escherichia coli. Martin RG, et al. J Bacteriol, 2011 Jan. PMID 21097628, Free PMC Article

See all (80) citations in PubMed

GeneRIFs: Gene References Into Functions

What's a GeneRIF?
  1. The N-terminal Helix-Turn-Helix Motif of Transcription Factors MarA and Rob Drives DNA Recognition.
    Title: The N-terminal Helix-Turn-Helix Motif of Transcription Factors MarA and Rob Drives DNA Recognition.
  2. MarA is a regulator of biofilm formation. Control is mediated by binding of MarA to the intergenic region upstream of the ycgZ-ymgABC operon.
    Title: The Escherichia coli MarA protein regulates the ycgZ-ymgABC operon to inhibit biofilm formation.
  3. MarA controls a variety of stress response genes. We modify its half-life either by knocking down the protease that targets it via CRISPRi or by engineering MarA to protect it from degradation. Our experimental and analytical results indicate that active degradation can impact both the rate of coordination and the maximum coordination that downstream genes can achieve.
    Title: Active degradation of MarA controls coordination of its downstream targets.
  4. Transcription factors MarR and MarA confer multidrug resistance in enteric bacteria by modulating efflux pump and porin expression. Here, the authors show that MarA also upregulates genes required for lipid trafficking and DNA repair, thus reducing antibiotic entry and quinolone-induced DNA damage.
    Title: The multiple antibiotic resistance operon of enteric bacteria controls DNA repair and outer membrane integrity.
  5. Genetic defects in SoxS, MarA, or AcrB underlie superoxide-mediated protection of Escherichia coli from antimicrobials.
    Title: Superoxide-mediated protection of Escherichia coli from antimicrobials.
  6. MarB encodes a periplasmic protein which reduces the transcription rate of marA.
    Title: The 216-bp marB gene of the marRAB operon in Escherichia coli encodes a periplasmic protein which reduces the transcription rate of marA.
  7. Replacement of the MarA glutamic acid residue 89 with alanine greatly increased the marbox binding and activation of many class I promoters.
    Title: Promoter discrimination at class I MarA regulon promoters mediated by glutamic acid 89 of the MarA transcriptional activator of Escherichia coli.
  8. roles of the Escherichia coli transcriptional regulators MarA, SoxS and Rob in susceptibility to cationic antimicrobial peptides
    Title: Different effects of transcriptional regulators MarA, SoxS and Rob on susceptibility of Escherichia coli to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs): Rob-dependent CAMP induction of the marRAB operon.
  9. Data that TolC is involved in the efflux of certain cellular metabolites that accumulate during growth and trigger the upregulation of MarA, SoxS, and Rob, which in turn upregulate tolC and help rid the bacteria of these metabolites.
    Title: An excretory function for the Escherichia coli outer membrane pore TolC: upregulation of marA and soxS transcription and Rob activity due to metabolites accumulated in tolC mutants.
  10. The authors show here that tolC has two additional strong overlapping promoters, p3 and p4, which are downstream of p1, p2 and the marbox and are activated by MarA, SoxS and Rob.
    Title: Transcriptional activation by MarA, SoxS and Rob of two tolC promoters using one binding site: a complex promoter configuration for tolC in Escherichia coli.
Submit: New GeneRIF Correction See all GeneRIFs (15)

Homology

Gene Ontology Provided by EcoCyc

Function Evidence Code Pubs
enables DNA binding IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables bacterial-type RNA polymerase holo enzyme binding IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
enables sequence-specific DNA binding IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
Process Evidence Code Pubs
acts_upstream_of_or_within negative regulation of DNA-templated transcription IMP
Inferred from Mutant Phenotype
more info
 PubMed 
acts_upstream_of_or_within positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in regulation of DNA-templated transcription IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in regulation of DNA-templated transcription IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
Component Evidence Code Pubs
is_active_in cytosol IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
Preferred Names
DNA-binding transcriptional dual regulator MarA

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Genome Annotation

The following sections contain reference sequences that belong to a specific genome build. Explain

Reference assembly

Genomic

  1. NC_000913.3 Reference assembly

    Range
    1619574..1619957
    Download
    GenBank, FASTA, Sequence Viewer (Graphics)

mRNA and Protein(s)

  1. NP_416048.2 DNA-binding transcriptional dual regulator MarA [Escherichia coli str. K-12 substr. MG1655]

    See identical proteins and their annotated locations for NP_416048.2

    Status: PROVISIONAL

    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    A0A1X3J229, A0A1X3JHI0, Q7BF81
    Conserved Domains (1) summary
    PRK11511
    Location:1 → 127
    PRK11511; MDR efflux pump AcrAB transcriptional activator MarA
Nucleotide Protein
Heading Accession and Version

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