title: Investigation into the role of the serine protease HtrA in Yersinia pestis pathogenesis.
abstract: The HtrA stress response protein has been shown to play a role in the virulence of a number of pathogens. For some organisms, htrA mutants are attenuated in the animal model and can be used as live vaccines. A Yersinia pestis htrA orthologue was identified, cloned and sequenced, showing 86% and 87% similarity to Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium HtrAs. An isogenic Y. pestis htrA mutant was constructed using a reverse genetics approach. In contrast to the wild-type strain, the mutant failed to grow at an elevated temperature of 39 degrees C, but showed only a small increase in sensitivity to oxidative stress and was only partially attenuated in the animal model. However, the mutant exhibited a different protein expression profile to that of the wild-type strain when grown at 28 degrees C to simulate growth in the flea.
authors.affiliation: Pathogen Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Unit, Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Oyston
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dorrell
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Titball
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Wren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D033903:Periplasmic Proteins; D010930:Plague / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014774:Virulence; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D033903:Periplasmic Proteins; C061682:DegP protease; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases