scholarly journals Role of aspartate ammonia-lyase in Pasteurella multocida

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zui Wang ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Peng Liu ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Qin Lu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pasteurella multocida is responsible for a highly infectious and contagious disease in birds, leading to heavy economic losses in the chicken industry. However, the pathogenesis of this disease is poorly understood. We recently identified an aspartate ammonia-lyase (aspA) in P. multocida that was significantly upregulated under iron-restricted conditions, the protein of which could effectively protect chicken flocks against P. multocida. However, the functions of this gene remain unclear. In the present study, we constructed aspA mutant strain △aspA::kan and complementary strain C△aspA::kan to investigate the function of aspA in detail. Result Deletion of the aspA gene in P. multocida resulted in a significant reduction in bacterial growth in LB (Luria-Bertani) and MH (Mueller-Hinton) media, which was rescued by supplementation with 20 mM fumarate. The mutant strain △aspA::kan showed significantly growth defects in anaerobic conditions and acid medium, compared with the wild-type strain. Moreover, growth of △aspA::kan was more seriously impaired than that of the wild-type strain under iron-restricted conditions, and this growth recovered after supplementation with iron ions. AspA transcription was negatively regulated by iron conditions, as demonstrated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Although competitive index assay showed the wild-type strain outcompetes the aspA mutant strain and △aspA::kan was significantly more efficient at producing biofilms than the wild-type strain, there was no significant difference in virulence between the mutant and the wild-type strains. Conclusion These results demonstrate that aspA is required for bacterial growth in complex medium, and under anaerobic, acid, and iron-limited conditions.

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Xu ◽  
Xiang Chen ◽  
Song Gao ◽  
Lixiang Zhao

Abstract Introduction: Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is a leading cause of extraintestinal infection and heavy economic losses. Imparting immunity after vaccination with live attenuated strain vaccination is an ideal strategy for infection control. This study considers an FtsK knockout mutant strain as a candidate. Material and Methods: An FtsK knockout mutant of APEC strain E058 was constructed and the pathogenicity of the mutant and wild-type strains was further evaluated in chickens. Results: The 50% lethal doses of each strain for one-day-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens challenged experimentally via trachea were 105.5 and 107.0 colony-forming units (CFU) respectively. Chickens challenged with the wild-type strain exhibited typical signs and lesions of avian colibacillosis, while those inoculated with the mutant strain showed mild pericarditis and pulmonary congestion. The growth rate of the FtsK mutant strain was much slower than the wild-type strain in the heart, spleen, liver, and lung of infected chickens. Conclusion: These results indicated that the APEC FtsK mutant can be attenuated for chickens, and that this mutant has the potential for the development of an APEC vaccine.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (14) ◽  
pp. 4127-4133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Segura ◽  
Estrella Duque ◽  
Ana Hurtado ◽  
Juan L. Ramos

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E is a solvent-tolerant strain able to grow in the presence of 1% (vol/vol) toluene in the culture medium. Random mutagenesis with mini-Tn5-′phoA-Km allowed us to isolate a mutant strain (DOT-T1E-42) that formed blue colonies on Luria-Bertani medium supplemented with 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolylphosphate and that, in contrast to the wild-type strain, was unable to tolerate toluene shocks (0.3%, vol/vol). The mutant strain exhibited patterns of tolerance or sensitivity to a number of antibiotics, detergents, and chelating agents similar to those of the wild-type strain. The mutation in this strain therefore seemed to specifically affect toluene tolerance. Cloning and sequencing of the mutation revealed that the mini-Tn5-′phoA-Km was inserted within the fliPgene, which is part of the fliLMNOPQRflhBA cluster, a set of genes that encode flagellar structure components. FliP is involved in the export of flagellar proteins, and in fact, theP. putida fliP mutant was nonmotile. The finding that, after replacing the mutant allele with the wild-type one, the strain recovered the wild-type pattern of toluene tolerance and motility unequivocally assigned FliP a function in solvent resistance. An flhB knockout mutant, another gene component of the flagellar export apparatus, was also nonmotile and hypersensitive to toluene. In contrast, a nonpolar mutation at the fliLgene, which encodes a cytoplasmic membrane protein associated with the flagellar basal body, yielded a nonmotile yet toluene-resistant strain. The results are discussed regarding a possible role of the flagellar export apparatus in the transport of one or more proteins necessary for toluene tolerance in P. putida DOT-T1E to the periplasm.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayeong Kim ◽  
Hyo Jeong Kim ◽  
Man Hwan Oh ◽  
Se Yeon Kim ◽  
Mi Hyun Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Zinc uptake-regulator (Zur)-regulated lipoprotein A (ZrlA) plays a role in bacterial fitness and overcoming antimicrobial exposure in Acinetobacter baumannii. This study further characterized the zrlA gene and its encoded protein and investigated the roles of the zrlA gene in bacterial morphology, antimicrobial susceptibility, and production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) in A. baumannii ATCC 17978. Results In silico and polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that the zrlA gene was conserved among A. baumannii strains with 97–100% sequence homology. Recombinant ZrlA protein exhibited a specific enzymatic activity of D-alanine-D-alanine carboxypeptidase. Wild-type A. baumannii exhibited more morphological heterogeneity than a ΔzrlA mutant strain during stationary phase. The ΔzrlA mutant strain was more susceptible to gentamicin than the wild-type strain. Sizes and protein profiles of OMVs were similar between the wild-type and ΔzrlA mutant strains, but the ΔzrlA mutant strain produced 9.7 times more OMV particles than the wild-type strain. OMVs from the ΔzrlA mutant were more cytotoxic in cultured epithelial cells than OMVs from the wild-type strain. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that A. baumannii ZrlA contributes to bacterial morphogenesis and antimicrobial resistance, but its deletion increases OMV production and OMV-mediated host cell cytotoxicity.


2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 2350-2355 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Patterson ◽  
P. W. O'Toole ◽  
N. T. Forester ◽  
B. Noonan ◽  
T. J. Trust ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Helicobacter mustelae, the gastric pathogen of ferrets, produces an array of surface ring structures which have not been described for any other member of the genus Helicobacter, including H. pylori. The unique ring structures are composed of a protein named Hsr. To investigate whether the Hsr rings are important for colonization of the ferret stomach, ferrets specific pathogen free for H. mustelae were inoculated with an Hsr-deficient mutant strain or the wild-type H. mustelae strain. Quantitative cultures from antral biopsy specimens obtained at 3, 6, and 9 weeks postinoculation demonstrated no significant difference in the levels of bacteria in the ferrets that received the Hsr-negative strain and the ferrets infected with the parent strain. However, when the ferrets were biopsied at 12 and 15 weeks and necropsied at 18 weeks after infection, the levels of bacteria of the Hsr-negative strain in the stomach antrum were significantly reduced. This decline contrasted the robust antral colonization by the wild-type strain. The Hsr-negative strain did not efficiently colonize the gastric body of the study ferrets. Histological examination at 18 weeks postinoculation revealed minimal gastric inflammation in the animals that received the mutant H. mustelae strain, a finding consistent with its waning infection status, whereas lesions characteristic of helicobacter infection were present in ferrets infected with the wild-type strain. Scant colonization by the Hsr-negative H. mustelae strain at the end of the 18-week study, despite initial successful colonization, indicates an inability of the mutant to persist, perhaps due to a specific host response.


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduard Melief ◽  
Shilah A. Bonnett ◽  
Edison S. Zuniga ◽  
Tanya Parish

ABSTRACT The diaminoquinazoline series has good potency against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Resistant isolates have mutations in Rv3161c, a putative dioxygenase. We carried out metabolite analysis on a wild-type strain and an Rv3161c mutant strain after exposure to a diaminoquinazoline. The parental compound was found in intracellular extracts from the mutant but not the wild type. A metabolite consistent with a monohydroxylated form was identified in the wild type. These data support the hypothesis that Rv3161c metabolizes diaminoquinazolines in M. tuberculosis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changle Zhao ◽  
Yinping Wan ◽  
Xiaojie Cao ◽  
Huili Zhang ◽  
Xin Bao

Abstract Background The microbial synthesis of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) remains the most promising industrial production route. Methylobacterium has been used to generate PQQ and other value-added chemicals from cheap carbon feedstocks.However, the low PQQ and CoQ10 production capacity of the Methylobacterium strains is a major limitation The regulation mechanism for PQQ and CoQ10 biosynthesis in this strain has also not been fully elucidated. Results Methylobacterium sp. CLZ strain was isolated from soil contaminated with chemical wastewater, which can simultaneously produce PQQ, CoQ10, and carotenoids by using cheap methanol as carbon source. We investigated a mutant strain NI91, which increased the PQQ and CoQ10 yield by 72.44% and 59.80%, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing of NI91 and wild-type strain CLZ revealed that both contain a 5.28 Mb chromosome. The comparative genomic analysis and validation study revealed that a significant increase in biomass and PQQ production was associated with the base mutations in the methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) synthesis genes, mxaD and mxaJ. The significant increase in CoQ10 production may be associated with the base mutations in dxs gene, a key gene in the MEP/DOXP pathway. Conclusions A PQQ producing strain that simultaneously produces CoQ10 and carotenoids was selected and after ANI analysis, named as Methylobacterium sp. CLZ. After random mutagenesis of this strain, we obtained NI91 strain, which showed increased production of PQQ and CoQ10. Based on comparative genomic analysis of the whole genome of mutant strain NI91 and wild-type strain CLZ, a total of 270 SNPs and InDels events were detected, which provided a reference for subsequent research. The mutations in mxaD, mxaJ and dxs genes may be related to the high yield of PQQ and CoQ10. These findings will enhance our understanding of the PQQ and CoQ10 over-production mechanism in Methylobacterium sp. NI91 at the genomic level. It will also provide useful clues for strain engineering in order to improve the PQQ and CoQ10 production.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 3883-3892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haruhisha Suga ◽  
Koji Kageyama ◽  
Masafumi Shimizu ◽  
Misturo Hyakumachi

Abstract Members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (Fg complex or FGSC) are the primary pathogens causing Fusarium head blight in wheat and barley worldwide. A natural pathogenicity mutant (strain 0225022) was found in a sample of the Fg complex collected in Japan. The mutant strain did not induce symptoms in wheat spikes beyond the point of inoculation, and did not form perithecia. No segregation of phenotypic deficiencies occurred in the progenies of a cross between the mutant and a fully pathogenic wild-type strain, which suggested that a single genetic locus controlled both traits. The locus was mapped to chromosome 2 by using sequence-tagged markers; and a deletion of ∼3 kb was detected in the mapped region of the mutant strain. The wild-type strain contains the FGSG_02810 gene, encoding a putative glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor protein, in this region. The contribution of FGSG_02810 to pathogenicity and perithecium formation was confirmed by complementation in the mutant strain using gene transfer, and by gene disruption in the wild-type strain.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riho Teras ◽  
Hanna Ainelo ◽  
Marge Puhm

<p>Pseudomonas putida rapidly forms a biofilm, after which its biomass usually disperses to half its initial amount. We have observed different biofilm dynamics of P. putida in a complex medium LB and a minimal medium M9+glc+CAA and inquired about the importance of extracellular factors for the formation of P. putida biofilm.</p> <p>The proteinaceous component of LB increases the biomass of P. putida biofilm. Supplementation of M9 with tryptone but not CAA increased the biofilm biomass. Proteinase K treatment of LB medium reduced the biomass of P. putida biofilm. At the same time, growth rate or maximum OD of planktic bacteria in used media did not correlate with biofilm biomass of the same media. Thus, peptides appeared to have a positive effect on the biofilm as an extracellular factor and not as a source of C and N.</p> <p>We replaced tryptone in M9 medium with positively charged poly-L-lysine (MW. 1000-5000 Da), negatively charged poly-L-glutaminic acid (MW. 1500-5500 Da) or neutral poly-LD-alanine (MW. 3000-7000). Poly-lysine and poly-glutamic acid had a slight positive effect on the biomass of P. putida wild type strain PSm biofilm and poly-alanine did not affect the biofilm.</p> <p>We have previously shown that overexpression of fis in P. putida strain F15 increases biofilm biomass by increasing the lapA expression, the main adhesin gene of biofilm. Using media similar to that used for the wild-type strain for strain F15, we ascertained that only poly-lysine out of these three polypeptides restored the positive effect of fis-overexpression on the biofilm biomass. At the same time, the positive impact of fis-overexpression was absent in lapA deletion mutant strain, but not in lapF deletion mutant strain.</p> <p>In conclusion, the formation of P. putida biofilm depends on polypeptides in the environment. The enhancing effect of positively charged polypeptides appears to be evident in the presence of LapA, a key factor for P. putida biofilm.</p>


Microbiology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. Buckles ◽  
Xiaolin Wang ◽  
C. Virginia Lockatell ◽  
David E. Johnson ◽  
Michael S. Donnenberg

The phoU gene is the last cistron in the pstSCAB–phoU operon and functions as a negative regulator of the Pho regulon. The authors previously identified a phoU mutant of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli strain CFT073 and demonstrated that this mutant was attenuated for survival in the murine model of ascending urinary tract infection. It is hypothesized that the PhoU protein might serve as a urovirulence factor by indirectly affecting the expression of virulence-related genes. In this study, the phoU mutant was further characterized and PhoU was confirmed as a virulence factor. Western blot analysis demonstrated that insertion of the transposon in the phoU gene disrupted the expression of PhoU. The phoU mutant had derepressed alkaline phosphatase activity under phosphate-excess and -limiting conditions. In single-challenge murine ascending urinary tract infection experiments, quantitative cultures of urine, bladder and kidney revealed no significant differences between the phoU mutant strain and the wild-type strain CFT073. However, in competitive colonization experiments, the phoU mutant strain was significantly out-competed by the wild-type strain in the kidneys and urine and recovered in lower amount in the bladder. Complementation of the phoU mutant with a plasmid containing the wild-type phoU gene restored the expression of PhoU and alkaline phosphate activity to wild-type levels and no significant difference in colonization was observed between the phoU mutant containing the complementing plasmid and wild-type in competitive colonization experiments. In human urine, the phoU mutant and wild-type grew comparably when inoculated independently, indicating that the attenuation observed was not due to a general growth defect. However, as observed in vivo, the wild-type out-competed the phoU mutant in competition growth experiments in human urine. These data indicate that PhoU contributes to efficient colonization of the murine urinary tract and add PhoU to a short list of confirmed urovirulence factors.


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