Identification and analysis of a gene encoding a Fur-like protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis

A gene (fur) for a Fur-like protein was identified on a 1.1 kb chromosomal DNA fragment of Staphylococcus epidermidis BN 280; the fur gene is followed by an open reading frame coding for the N-terminus of a putative superoxide dismutase. Within the -35 promoter region of both genes, a sequence motif was detected with low similarity to Fur-binding regulatory DNA segments, the so-called Fur boxes. Fur titration in Escherichia coli strain H1717 demonstrated that the E. coli Fur protein binds to the Fur box of the promoter region of the S. epidermidis fur gene. The S. epidermidis Fur protein was expressed in E. coli as indicated by the formation of inactive dimers with the chimeric repressor CI(N)-Fur(C) (Stojiljkovic, I. and Hantke. K. (1995) Mol. Gen. Genet. 247, 199-205), but was not able to complement the Fur mutation in E. coli H1681.