The MarR-family regulator TilR links biosynthesis of enterotoxin tilimycin with physiologic adaptation in Klebsiella oxytoca

TilR, a MarR-family regulator in Klebsiella oxytoca, represses tilimycin biosynthesis by controlling aroX and NRPS operons, and its deletion elevates toxin production and cytotoxicity.

• Why it matters: Tilimycin is a DNA-damaging enterotoxin linked to virulence, but how its production is coordinated with physiologic adaptation in KoSC was unclear.
• What they did: The study deleted tilR, mapped TilR binding to a 20 bp motif in the aroX–NRPS intergenic region, and used global transcriptome profiling to define TilR-linked regulatory networks.
• The result: TilR is the most highly expressed MarR in KoSC and links toxin biosynthesis to nutrient acquisition, stress adaptation, central metabolism, and virulence-associated adhesion, biofilm, and iron acquisition programs.

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