Flagellar basal body flg operon as a virulence determinant of Vibrio vulnificus.
Vibrio vulnificus, a halophilic estuarine bacterium causing a rapidly progressing fatal septicemia, is highly cytotoxic to eukaryotic cells. To identify new virulence factors associated with cytotoxicity, we constructed a mariner-based transposon (Tn Himar1) library of the highly virulent clinical isolate MO6-24/O having a double mutation in the hemolysin and protease genes. The Himar1 mutant library was extensively screened for the mutants showing decreased cytotoxicity to HeLa cells. We selected a cytotoxicity defective mutant having a Himar1 insertion in an open reading frame showing 96% identity to Vibrio parahaemolyticus FlgC, a flagella basal body rod protein. The Tn Himar1 insertion mutation also resulted in a significant decrease in motility, adhesion, cytotoxicity, and lethality to mice. This is the first report showing that flg genes, which are components of the flagellum biogenesis gene cluster, might play an important role in the virulence of V. vulnificus.
Ran Kim
Young
Y
National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbial Pathogenesis, Research Institute of Vibrio Infection and Genome Research Center for Enteropathogenic Bacteria, Kwangju, Republic of Korea.
Haeng Rhee
Joon
J
D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D005407:Flagella / Q000235:genetics; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008124:Locomotion; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D009876:Operon; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D041261:Vibrio vulnificus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; C000717249:FLG protein, human; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors