Ms6244 is a novel Mycobacterium smegmatis TetR family transcriptional repressor that regulates cell growth and morphophysiology

Transcriptional factors such as the TetR family of transcriptional regulators (TFTRs) are widely found amongst bacteria, including mycobacteria, and are accountable for their survival. Here, we characterized a novel TFTR, Ms6244, from Mycobacterium smegmatis that negatively autoregulates its expression and represses its neighbouring gene, Ms6243. We also report the binding of Ms6244 to the inverted repeats in the intergenic region of Ms6244 and Ms6243. Further, an Ms6244-deleted strain shows various morpho-physiological differences compared to the wild type. We further confirmed that the deletion of Ms6244 itself and not the resultant Ms6243 overexpression is the cause of the altered physiology. Our data thus suggest that Ms6244 is an essential regulator, having far-reaching effects on M. smegmatis physiology.