Flagellar flhA, flhB and flhE genes, organized in an operon, cluster upstream from the inv locus in Yersinia enterocolitica.
The inv gene of Yersinia enterocolitica codes for invasin, a member of the invasin/intimin-like protein family, which mediates the internalization of the bacterium into cultured epithelial cells. The putative inclusion of inv into a pathogenicity island was tested by investigating its flanking sequences. Indeed, the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) intimin, a member of the same family of proteins, is encoded by eaeA, a gene which belongs to a pathogenicity island. An ORF located upstream from inv was of particular interest since it appeared homologous both to the flagellar flhA gene and to sepA, an EPEC gene lying inside the same pathogenicity island as eaeA. A mutant in this ORF was non-motile and non-flagellated while its invasion phenotype remained unaffected. These data indicated that the ORF corresponded to the flhA gene of Y. enterocolitica. Subsequently, the flhB and flhE genes, located respectively upstream and downstream from flhA, were identified. The three flh genes appear to be transcribed from a single operon called flhB, according to the nomenclature used for Salmonella typhimurium. Intergenic sequence between flhE and inv includes a grey hole, with no recognizable function. Downstream from inv, we have detected the flagellar flgM operon as already reported. Finally, the incongruous localization of inv amidst the flagellar cluster is discussed; while transposition could explain this phenomenon, no trace of such an event was detected.
Fauconnier
Alan
A
Applied Genetics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue de I'Industrie 24, B-1400 Nivelles, Belgium.
Allaoui
Abdelmounaaïm
A
Microbial Pathogenesis Unit, International Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pathology and Faculté de Médecine, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Hippocrate 74, B-1200 Bruxelles, Belgium.
Campos
Andrés
A
Departamento de Bioenergética, Institute de Fisiologia Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 04510 DF, Mexico.
Van Elsen
Ary
A
Applied Genetics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue de I'Industrie 24, B-1400 Nivelles, Belgium.
Cornelis
Guy R
GR
Microbial Pathogenesis Unit, International Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pathology and Faculté de Médecine, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Hippocrate 74, B-1200 Bruxelles, Belgium.
Bollen
Alex
A
Applied Genetics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue de I'Industrie 24, B-1400 Nivelles, Belgium.
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005407:Flagella / Q000235:genetics*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D009876:Operon / Q000235:genetics*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013696:Temperature; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000648:ultrastructure
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C080688:FlhA protein, Bacteria; C085668:FlhB protein, Bacteria; C091067:FlhE protein, Salmonella typhimurium; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C053476:invasin, Yersinia; C073819:eaeA protein, E coli