scholarly journals Relationship of plcR-Regulated Factors to BacillusEndophthalmitis Virulence

2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 3116-3124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Callegan ◽  
Scott T. Kane ◽  
D. Clay Cochran ◽  
Michael S. Gilmore ◽  
Myriam Gominet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Cell ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Retinal Function ◽  
Deficient Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Global Regulator ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance Cassette ◽  
Insertional Inactivation ◽  
Relationship Of

ABSTRACT The explosive, destructive course of Bacillus endophthalmitis has been attributed to the production of toxins during infection. In this study we analyzed the contribution of toxins controlled by the global regulator plcR to the pathogenesis of experimental Bacillus endophthalmitis. Isogenic plcR-deficient mutants of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis were constructed by insertional inactivation of plcR by the kanamycin resistance cassette, aphA3. Rabbit eyes were injected intravitreally with approximately 100 CFU of wild-type B. cereus or B. thuringiensis or a plcR-deficient mutant. The evolution of endophthalmitis resulting from each plcR-deficient mutant was considerably slower than that caused by each wild-type strain. Retinal function was not eliminated until 42 h postinfection in rabbits with endophthalmitis caused by the plcR-deficient mutants, whereas wild-type infections resulted in a complete loss of retinal function within 18 h. The intraocular inflammatory cell influx and retinal destruction in plcR-deficient endophthalmitis approached the severity observed in wild-ype infections, but not until 36 h postinfection. Gross and histological examinations of eyes infected with plcR mutants demonstrated that the anterior and posterior segment changes were muted compared to the changes observed in eyes infected with the wild types. The loss of plcR-regulated factors significantly attenuated the severity of Bacillus endophthalmitis. The results therefore suggest that plcR may represent a target for which adjunct therapies could be designed for the prevention of blindness during Bacillus endophthalmitis.

scholarly journals Mycobacterium smegmatis d-Alanine Racemase Mutants Are Not Dependent on d-Alanine for Growth

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ofelia Chacon ◽  
Zhengyu Feng ◽  
N. Beth Harris ◽  
Nancy E. Cáceres ◽  
L. Garry Adams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Alanine Racemase ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis ◽  
Insertional Inactivation

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium smegmatis is a fast-growing nonpathogenic species particularly useful in studying basic cellular processes of relevance to pathogenic mycobacteria. This study focused on the d-alanine racemase gene (alrA), which is involved in the synthesis of d-alanine, a basic component of peptidoglycan that forms the backbone of the cell wall. M. smegmatis alrA null mutants were generated by homologous recombination using a kanamycin resistance marker for insertional inactivation. Mutants were selected on Middlebrook medium supplemented with 50 mM d-alanine and 20 μg of kanamycin per ml. These mutants were also able to grow in standard and minimal media without d-alanine, giving rise to colonies with a drier appearance and more-raised borders than the wild-type strain. The viability of the mutants and independence of d-alanine for growth indicate that inactivation of alrA does not impose an auxotrophic requirement for d-alanine, suggesting the existence of a new pathway of d-alanine biosynthesis in M. smegmatis. Biochemical analysis demonstrated the absence of any detectable d-alanine racemase activity in the mutant strains. In addition, the alrA mutants displayed hypersusceptibility to the antimycobacterial agent d-cycloserine. The MIC of d-cycloserine for the mutant strain was 2.56 μg/ml, 30-fold less than that for the wild-type strain. Furthermore, this hypersusceptibility was confirmed by the bactericidal action of d-cycloserine on broth cultures. The kinetic of killing for the mutant strain followed the same pattern as that for the wild-type strain, but at a 30-fold-lower drug concentration. This effect does not involve a change in the permeability of the cell wall by this drug and is consistent with the identification of d-alanine racemase as a target of d-cycloserine. This outcome is of importance for the design of novel antituberculosis drugs targeting peptidoglycan biosynthesis in mycobacteria.

scholarly journals Inactivation of the Spirochete recA Gene Results in a Mutant with Low Viability and Irregular Nucleoid Morphology

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (2) ◽  
pp. 452-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ange-Patricia Tchamedeu Kameni ◽  
Evelyne Couture-Tosi ◽  
Isabelle Saint-Girons ◽  
Mathieu Picardeau
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Fluorescent Microscopy ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Reca Gene ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
Poor Growth ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance Cassette

ABSTRACT Recently, we have shown the first evidence for allelic exchange in Leptospira spp. By using the same methodology, the cloned recA of Leptospira biflexa was interrupted by a kanamycin resistance cassette, and the mutated allele was then introduced into the L. biflexa chromosome by homologous recombination. The recA double-crossover mutant showed poor growth in liquid media and was considerably more sensitive to DNA-damaging agents such as mitomycin C and UV light than the wild-type strain. The efficiency of plating of the recA mutant was about 10% of that of the parent strain. In addition, microscopic observation of the L. biflexa recA mutant showed cells that are more elongated than those of the wild-type strain. Fluorescent microscopy of stained cells of the L. biflexa wild-type strain revealed that chromosomal DNA is distributed throughout most of the length of the cell. In contrast, the recA mutant showed aberrant nucleoid morphologies, i.e., DNA is condensed at the midcell. Our data indicate that L. biflexa RecA plays a major role in ensuring cell viability via mechanisms such as DNA repair and, indirectly, active chromosome partitioning.

scholarly journals Influence of the Alternative σ28 Factor on Virulence and Flagellum Expression of Legionella pneumophila

2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 1604-1608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Heuner ◽  
Claudia Dietrich ◽  
Carina Skriwan ◽  
Michael Steinert ◽  
Jörg Hacker
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Western Blot ◽  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Blot Analysis ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance Cassette

ABSTRACT The fliA gene of Legionella pneumophila encoding the alternative σ28 factor was inactivated by introducing a kanamycin resistance cassette. Electron microscopy and Western blot analysis revealed that the fliA mutant strain is aflagellate and expresses no flagellin. Reporter gene assays indicated that the flaA promoter is not active in the fliA mutant strain. The fliA mutant strain multiplied less effectively in coculture with amoebae than the wild-type strain and was not able to replicate in coculture with Dictyostelium discoideum.

scholarly journals Accumulation of Inorganic Polyphosphate in phoU Mutants of Escherichia coli and Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC6803

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 4107-4110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohiro Morohoshi ◽  
Tatsuya Maruo ◽  
Yoko Shirai ◽  
Junichi Kato ◽  
Tsukasa Ikeda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Biological Process ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate ◽  
Insertional Inactivation ◽  
Synechocystis Sp ◽  
Polyp Accumulation

ABSTRACT The biological process for phosphate (Pi) removal is based on the use of bacteria capable of accumulating inorganic polyphosphate (polyP). We obtained Escherichia coli mutants which accumulate a large amount of polyP. The polyP accumulation in these mutants was ascribed to a mutation of the phoU gene that encodes a negative regulator of the Pi regulon. Insertional inactivation of the phoU gene also elevated the intracellular level of polyP in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. The mutant could remove fourfold more Pi from the medium than the wild-type strain removed.

scholarly journals Complementation of a Nonmotile flaB Mutant ofBorrelia burgdorferi by Chromosomal Integration of a Plasmid Containing a Wild-Type flaB Allele

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (22) ◽  
pp. 6558-6564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina L. Sartakova ◽  
Elena Y. Dobrikova ◽  
M. Abdul Motaleb ◽  
Henry P. Godfrey ◽  
Nyles W. Charon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Hybridization ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Functional Restoration ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Null Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Erythromycin Resistance ◽  
Cloning Vectors ◽  
Insertional Inactivation ◽  
Wave Morphology

ABSTRACT With the recent identification of antibiotic resistance phenotypes, the use of reporter genes, the isolation of null mutants by insertional inactivation, and the development of extrachromosomal cloning vectors, genetic analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi is becoming a reality. A previously described nonmotile, rod-shaped, kanamycin-resistant B. burgdorferi flaB::Km null mutant was complemented by electroporation with the erythromycin resistance plasmid pED3 (a pGK12 derivative) containing the wild-typeflaB sequence and 366 bp upstream from its initiation codon. The resulting MS17 clone possessed erythromycin and kanamycin resistance, flat-wave morphology, and microscopic and macroscopic motility. Several other electroporations with plasmids containing wild-type flaB and various lengths (198, 366, or 762 bp) of sequence upstream from the flaB gene starting codon did not lead to functional restoration of the nonmotileflaB null mutant. DNA hybridization, PCR analysis, and sequencing indicated that the wild-type flaB gene in nonmotile clones was present in the introduced extrachromosomal plasmids, while the motile MS17 clone was a merodiploid containing single tandem chromosomal copies of mutatedflaB::Km and wild-type flaBwith a 366-bp sequence upstream from its starting codon. Complementation was thus achieved only when wild-typeflaB was inserted into the borrelial chromosome. Several possible mechanisms for the failure of complementation for extrachromosomally located flaB are discussed.

scholarly journals Biological Control of Rhizoctonia Root Rot on Bean by Phenazine- and Cyclic Lipopeptide-Producing Pseudomonas CMR12a

2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (8) ◽  
pp. 996-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolien D'aes ◽  
Gia Khuong Hoang Hua ◽  
Katrien De Maeyer ◽  
Joke Pannecoucque ◽  
Ilse Forrez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Rot ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Hyphal Growth ◽  
Deficient Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cyclic Lipopeptide ◽  
Rhizoctonia Root Rot ◽  
Bean Plants ◽  
Biocontrol Activity ◽  
Biocontrol Strain

Pseudomonas CMR12a was previously selected as an efficient biocontrol strain producing phenazines and cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs). In this study, biocontrol capacity of Pseudomonas CMR12a against Rhizoctonia root rot of bean and the involvement of phenazines and CLPs in this ability were tested. Two different anastomosis groups (AGs) of Rhizoctonia solani, the intermediately aggressive AG 2-2 and the highly aggressive AG 4 HGI, were included in growth-chamber experiments with bean plants. The wild-type strain CMR12a dramatically reduced disease severity caused by both R. solani AGs. A CLP-deficient and a phenazine-deficient mutant of CMR12a still protected bean plants, albeit to a lesser extent compared with the wild type. Two mutants deficient in both phenazine and CLP production completely lost their biocontrol activity. Disease-suppressive capacity of CMR12a decreased after washing bacteria before application to soil and thereby removing metabolites produced during growth on plate. In addition, microscopic observations revealed pronounced branching of hyphal tips of both R. solani AGs in the presence of CMR12a. More branched and denser mycelium was also observed for the phenazine-deficient mutant; however, neither the CLP-deficient mutant nor the mutants deficient in both CLPs and phenazines influenced hyphal growth. Together, results demonstrate the involvement of phenazines and CLPs during Pseudomonas CMR12a-mediated biocontrol of Rhizoctonia root rot of bean.

scholarly journals Campylobacter fetus Uses Multiple Loci for DNA Inversion within the 5′ Conserved Regions ofsap Homologs

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (22) ◽  
pp. 6654-6661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng-Chao Tu ◽  
Kevin C. Ray ◽  
Stuart A. Thompson ◽  
Martin J. Blaser
Keyword(s):  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Invertible Element ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Sequence Analyses ◽  
Chloramphenicol Resistance ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Dna Inversion ◽  
Multiple Loci ◽  
Campylobacter Fetus

ABSTRACT Campylobacter fetus cells possess multiple promoterless sap homologs, each capable of expressing a surface layer protein (SLP) by utilizing a unique promoter present on a 6.2-kb invertible element. Each sap homolog includes a 626-bp 5′ conserved region (FCR) with 74 bp upstream and 552 bp within the open reading frame. After DNA inversion, the splice is seamless because the FCRs are identical. In mutant strain 23D:ACA2K101, in whichsapA and sapA2 flanking the invertible element in opposite orientations were disrupted by promoterless chloramphenicol resistance (Cmr) and kanamycin resistance (Kmr) cassettes, respectively, the frequency of DNA inversion is 100-fold lower than that of wild-type strain 23D. To define the roles of a 15-bp inverted repeat (IR) and a Chi-like site (CLS) in the FCR, we mutagenized each upstream of sapA2in 23D:ACA2K101 by introducing NotI andKpnI sites to create strains 23D:ACA2K101N and 23D:ACA2K101K, respectively. Alternatively selecting colonies for Cmr or Kmr showed that mutagenizing the IR or CLS had no apparent effect on the frequency of the DNA inversion. However, mapping the unique NotI or KpnI site in relation to the Cmr or Kmr cassette in the cells that changed phenotype showed that splices occurred both upstream and downstream of the mutated sites. PCR and sequence analyses also showed that the splice could occur in the 425-bp portion of the FCR downstream of the cassettes. In total, these data indicate that C.fetus can use multiple sites within the FCR for itssap-related DNA inversion.

scholarly journals Involvement of H-NS in Transpositional Recombination Mediated by IS1

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (8) ◽  
pp. 2476-2484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuyuki Shiga ◽  
Yasuhiko Sekine ◽  
Yasunobu Kano ◽  
Eiichi Ohtsubo
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Integration Host Factor ◽  
Deficient Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transposase Gene ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Transposition Reaction ◽  
Target Plasmid

ABSTRACT IS1, the smallest active transposable element in bacteria, encodes a transposase that promotes inter- and intramolecular transposition. Host-encoded factors, e.g., histone-like proteins HU and integration host factor (IHF), are involved in the transposition reactions of some bacterial transposable elements. Host factors involved in the IS1 transposition reaction, however, are not known. We show that a plasmid with an IS1 derivative that efficiently produces transposase did not generate miniplasmids, the products of intramolecular transposition, in mutants deficient in a nucleoid-associated DNA-binding protein, H-NS, but did generate them in mutants deficient in histone-like proteins HU, IHF, Fis, and StpA. Nor did IS1 transpose intermolecularly to the target plasmid in the H-NS-deficient mutant. The hns mutation did not affect transcription from the indigenous promoter of IS1 for the expression of the transposase gene. These findings show that transpositional recombination mediated by IS1 requires H-NS but does not require the HU, IHF, Fis, or StpA protein in vivo. Gel retardation assays of restriction fragments of IS1-carrying plasmid DNA showed that no sites were bound preferentially by H-NS within the IS1 sequence. The central domain of H-NS, which is involved in dimerization and/or oligomerization of the H-NS protein, was important for the intramolecular transposition of IS1, but the N- and C-terminal domains, which are involved in the repression of certain genes and DNA binding, respectively, were not. The SOS response induced by the IS1 transposase was absent in the H-NS-deficient mutant strain but was present in the wild-type strain. We discuss the possibility that H-NS promotes the formation of an active IS1 DNA-transposase complex in which the IS1 ends are cleaved to initiate transpositional recombination through interaction with IS1 transposase.

scholarly journals Mutation in the peb1A Locus ofCampylobacter jejuni Reduces Interactions with Epithelial Cells and Intestinal Colonization of Mice

1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 938-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiheng Pei ◽  
Christophe Burucoa ◽  
Bernadette Grignon ◽  
Shahida Baqar ◽  
Xiao-Zhe Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Intestinal Colonization ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cell Binding ◽  
Binding Factor

ABSTRACT Campylobacter jejuni is one of the leading causes of bacterial diarrhea throughout the world. We previously found that PEB1 is a homolog of cluster 3 binding proteins of bacterial ABC transporters and that a C. jejuni adhesin, cell-binding factor 1 (CBF1), if not identical to, contains PEB1. A single protein migrating at approximately 27 to 28 kDa was recognized by anti-CBF1 and anti-PEB1. To determine the role that the operon encoding PEB1 plays inC. jejuni adherence, peb1A, the gene encoding PEB1, was disrupted in strain 81-176 by insertion of a kanamycin resistance gene through homologous recombination. Inactivation of this operon completely abolished expression of CBF1, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting. In comparison to the wild-type strain, the mutant strain showed 50- to 100-fold less adherence to and 15-fold less invasion of epithelial cells in culture. Mouse challenge studies showed that the rate and duration of intestinal colonization by the mutant were significantly lower and shorter than with the wild-type strain. In summary, PEB1 is identical to a previously identified cell-binding factor, CBF1, in C. jejuni, and the peb1A locus plays an important role in epithelial cell interactions and in intestinal colonization in a mouse model.

scholarly journals Cell-to-Cell Signaling in Xylella fastidiosa Suppresses Movement and Xylem Vessel Colonization in Grape

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1309-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhadeep Chatterjee ◽  
Karyn L. Newman ◽  
Steven E. Lindow
Keyword(s):  
Cell Signaling ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Xylella Fastidiosa ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Deficient Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Wide Range

Cell-to-cell signaling mediated by a fatty acid diffusible signaling factor (DSF) is central to the regulation of the virulence of Xylella fastidiosa. DSF production by X. fastidiosa is dependent on rpfF and, although required for insect colonization, appears to reduce its virulence to grape. To understand what aspects of colonization of grape are controlled by DSF in X. fastidiosa and, thus, those factors that contribute to virulence, we assessed the colonization of grape by a green fluorescent protein–marked rpfF-deficient mutant. The rpfF-deficient mutant was detected at a greater distance from the point of inoculation than the wild-type strain at a given sampling time, and also attained a population size that was up to 100-fold larger than that of the wild-type strain at a given distance from the point of inoculation. Confocal laser-scanning microscopy revealed that approximately 10-fold more vessels in petioles of symptomatic leaves harbored at least some cells of either the wild type or rpfF mutant when compared with asymptomatic leaves and, thus, that disease symptoms were associated with the extent of vessel colonization. Importantly, the rpfF mutant colonized approximately threefold more vessels than the wild-type strain. Although a wide range of colony sizes were observed in vessels colonized by both the wild type and rpfF mutant, the proportion of colonized vessels harboring large numbers of cells was significantly higher in plants inoculated with the rpfF mutant than with the wild-type strain. These studies indicated that the hypervirulence phenotype of the rpfF mutant is due to both a more extensive spread of the pathogen to xylem vessels and unrestrained multiplication within vessels leading to blockage. These results suggest that movement and multiplication of X. fastidiosa in plants are linked, perhaps because cell wall degradation products are a major source of nutrients. Thus, DSF-mediated cell-to-cell signaling, which restricts movement and colonization of X. fastidiosa, may be an adaptation to endophytic growth of the pathogen that prevents the excessive growth of cells in vessels.

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