Back to article: Toxin-mediated gene regulatory mechanism in Staphylococcus aureus
FIGURE 1: PSMs displace PmtR from the pmt promoter to ascertain PSM export.
(A) Without PSMs, the PmtR repressor binds to the pmt promoter and strongly decreases transcription of the pmt genes coding for the PSM secretion machinery.
(B) With PSMs, PmtR is displaced from the promoter, allowing for an increase in pmt gene transcription. The increased number of Pmt proteins drives PSM export as well as confers protection from the membrane-damaging function of already secreted PSMs (producer immunity).