Role of the RecBCD recombination pathway in Salmonella virulence.
Mutants of Salmonella enterica lacking the RecBC function are avirulent in mice and unable to grow inside macrophages (N. A. Buchmeier, C. J. Lipps, M. Y. H. So, and F. Heffron, Mol. Microbiol. 7:933-936, 1993). The virulence-related defects of RecBC(-) mutants are not suppressed by sbcB and sbcCD mutations, indicating that activation of the RecF recombination pathway cannot replace the virulence-related function(s) of RecBCD. Functions of the RecF pathway such as RecJ and RecF are not required for virulence. Since the RecBCD pathway, but not the RecF pathway, is known to participate in the repair of double-strand breaks produced during DNA replication, we propose that systemic infection by S. enterica may require RecBCD-mediated recombinational repair to prime DNA replication inside phagocytes. Mutants lacking both RecD and RecJ are also attenuated in mice and are unable to proliferate in macrophages, suggesting that exonucleases V and IX provide alternative functions for RecBCD-mediated recombinational repair during Salmonella infection.
Cano
David A
DA
Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville 41080, Spain.
Pucciarelli
M Graciela
MG
García-del Portillo
Francisco
F
Casadesús
Josep
J
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D004260:DNA Repair; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D043211:Exodeoxyribonuclease V; D005090:Exodeoxyribonucleases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005092:Exonucleases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014774:Virulence
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C061563:SbcC protein, Bacteria; C489229:SbcC protein, E coli; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D005090:Exodeoxyribonucleases; D005092:Exonucleases; C081229:sbcD protein, E coli; C489467:RecJ protein, E coli; C070765:recJ protein, Bacteria; C028450:exodeoxyribonuclease I; D043211:Exodeoxyribonuclease V; C468322:exodeoxyribonuclease V, E coli