from Patricia C. Burrows, Simone C. Wiesler, Zhensheng Pan, Martin Buck and Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj writing in Bacterial Regulatory Networks:

Amongst the many accessory factors that bind RNA polymerase (RNAp) and serve to control its activities, sigma (σ) factors ubiquitously feature in programming of gene expression in response to abiotic and biotic cues. Here we review the role of the major variant σ factor, σ54, in the expression of gene sets used for establishing the virulence of a wide range of pathogenic bacteria. The tight coupling of σ54-dependent transcription to signalling pathways underpins the regulation of such systems, and allows a wide dynamic range of gene expression.

Further reading: Bacterial Regulatory Networks   Related publications

Tags: Regulatory networks | Environmental changes | Nutritional status | Environmental stress | Environmental signals | Sigma network | Virulence | ECF sigma factors | Quorum sensing | Cyclic di-GMP | RNA-mediated regulation | H-NS regulator | Two-component regulatory systems | Bacterial chemotaxis | Iron homeostasis | Anaerobic regulatory networks | Bacterial bistable regulatory networks | Evolution of transcription factors