Molecular cloning and characterization of chromosomal virulence region kcpA of Shigella flexneri.
In Shigella flexneri, in addition to several well-recognized plasmid-borne virulence loci, at least three genetic loci implicated in pathogenesis have been recognized on the chromosome. To understand more about the pathogenesis of bacillary dysentery at a molecular level, the genetically recognized but previously unidentified KcpA region (one of the chromosomal regions near purE) was cloned and sequenced. A single translatable open reading frame encoding a 12310 Dalton protein corresponding to the minicell product was found. Immunofluorescence microscopy, as well as optical and electron microscopic comparison of tissue-cultured cells and guinea-pigs' eyes infected with wild-type or kcpA mutant bacteria, revealed that the kcpA product is required by invading bacteria for spread into adjacent cells.
Yamada
M
M
Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Sasakawa
C
C
Okada
N
N
Makino
S I
SI
Yoshikawa
M
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007639:Keratoconjunctivitis, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012763:Shigella flexneri / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014774:Virulence
D004269:DNA, Bacterial