Escherichia coli F-18 and E. coli K-12 eda mutants do not colonize the streptomycin-treated mouse large intestine.
The Escherichia coli human fecal isolates F-18 and K-12 are excellent colonizers of the streptomycin-treated mouse intestine. E. coli F-18 and E. coli K-12 eda mutants (unable to utilize glucuronate, galacturonate, and gluconate) were constructed by insertional mutagenesis. Neither the E. coli F-18 eda nor the E. coli K-12 eda mutant was able to colonize the streptomycin-treated mouse intestine, whether they were fed to mice together with their respective parental strains or alone. Complementation of the eda mutants with pTC190 (containing a functional E. coli K-12 eda gene) completely restored the colonization ability of both eda mutants. Relative to their parental strains, the E. coli F-18 eda mutant and the E. coli K-12 eda mutant grew poorly in cecal mucus isolated from mice fed either normal mouse chow or a synthetic diet containing sucrose as the sole carbon source, yet the mutants and parental strains demonstrated identical growth rates in minimal medium with glucose as the carbon source. E. coli F-18 edd eda and E. coli K-12 edd eda double mutants colonized the streptomycin-treated intestine when fed to mice alone; however, when fed simultaneously with their respective parental strains, they were poor colonizers. Since the edd gene is involved only in gluconate metabolism via the Entner-Doudoroff pathway, these results implicate the utilization of gluconate and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway as important elements in E. coli colonization of the streptomycin-treated mouse large intestine.
Sweeney
N J
NJ
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Rhode Island, Kingston 02881, USA.
Laux
D C
DC
Cohen
P S
PS
D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D005942:Gluconates / Q000378:metabolism*; D005965:Glucuronates / Q000378:metabolism*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains
D005942:Gluconates; D005965:Glucuronates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; C007819:galacturonic acid; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; C030691:gluconic acid