title: A Vibrio vulnificus type IV pilin contributes to biofilm formation, adherence to epithelial cells, and virulence.
abstract: Vibrio vulnificus expresses a multitude of cell-associated and secreted factors that potentially contribute to pathogenicity, although the specific roles of most of these factors have been difficult to define. Previously we have shown that a mutation in pilD (originally designated vvpD), which encodes a type IV prepilin peptidase/N-methyltransferase, abolishes expression of surface pili, suggesting that they belong to the type IV class. In addition, a pilD mutant exhibits reduced adherence to HEp-2 cells, a block in secretion of several exoenzymes that follow the type II secretion pathway, and decreased virulence. In this study, we have cloned and characterized a V. vulnificus type IV pilin (PilA) that shares extensive homology to group A type IV pilins expressed by many pathogens, including Vibrio cholerae (PilA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PilA), and Aeromonas hydrophila (TapA). The V. vulnificus pilA gene is part of an operon and is clustered with three other pilus biogenesis genes, pilBCD. Inactivation of pilA reduces the ability of V. vulnificus to form biofilms and significantly decreases adherence to HEp-2 cells and virulence in iron dextran-treated mice. Southern blot analysis demonstrates the widespread presence of both pilA and pilD in clinical as well as environmental strains of V. vulnificus.
authors.affiliation: Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric, Seattle, WA 98112, USA.
authors.forename: Rohinee N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Paranjpye
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Strom
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D002460:Cell Line; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D010125:Ostreidae / Q000382:microbiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012758:Shellfish / Q000382:microbiology; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D041261:Vibrio vulnificus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D036781:Fimbriae Proteins
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 1998 Sep;29(6):1481-92
references.pmid: 9781884
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 1998 Oct;30(2):295-304
references.pmid: 9791175
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1998 Dec;66(12):5659-68
references.pmid: 9826339
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1999 Mar;67(3):1393-404
references.pmid: 10024587
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 1999 Jun;181(11):3606-9
references.pmid: 10348878
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1999 Oct;67(10):5447-54
references.pmid: 10496928
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 1987 Jan;53(1):193-5
references.pmid: 3827248
references.citation: Vaccine. 1987 Dec;5(4):283-8
references.pmid: 2448968
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1988 Jun;56(6):1641-6
references.pmid: 2897336
references.citation: J Exp Med. 1988 Sep 1;168(3):983-1002
references.pmid: 2902184
references.citation: J Infect Dis. 1990 Mar;161(3):541-8
references.pmid: 1968936
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1990 Jun;58(6):1769-73
references.pmid: 2160432
references.citation: Methods Enzymol. 1999;310:91-109
references.pmid: 10547784
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 1999 Nov;34(3):586-95
references.pmid: 10564499
references.citation: Microbes Infect. 2000 Feb;2(2):177-88
references.pmid: 10742690
references.citation: Infect Immun. 2000 Jun;68(6):3569-73
references.pmid: 10816513
references.citation: J Mol Biol. 2000 Jun 16;299(4):1005-17
references.pmid: 10843854
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2000 Jun;182(12):3405-15
references.pmid: 10852871
references.citation: Infect Immun. 2000 Sep;68(9):5096-106
references.pmid: 10948131
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2001 Jan;183(2):758-62
references.pmid: 11133972
references.citation: Cell Microbiol. 2001 Mar;3(3):133-43
references.pmid: 11260136
references.citation: Infect Immun. 2001 Sep;69(9):5943-8
references.pmid: 11500479
references.citation: Infect Immun. 2001 Dec;69(12):7695-702
references.pmid: 11705950
references.citation: Dis Aquat Organ. 2002 Aug 15;51(1):13-25
references.pmid: 12240967
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 2003 Jun;48(6):1511-24
references.pmid: 12791135
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 2003 Jun;48(6):1647-64
references.pmid: 12791145
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Jul 8;100(14):8508-13
references.pmid: 12826608
references.citation: Infect Immun. 2003 Oct;71(10):5461-71
references.pmid: 14500463
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Oct;69(10):6114-20
references.pmid: 14532069
references.citation: Genome Res. 2003 Dec;13(12):2577-87
references.pmid: 14656965
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 2004 Feb;186(3):889-93
references.pmid: 14729720
references.citation: Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680-5
references.pmid: 5432063
references.citation: J Exp Med. 1973 Mar 1;137(3):571-89
references.pmid: 4631989
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Apr;76(4):1648-52
references.pmid: 377280
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Sep;76(9):4350-4
references.pmid: 388439
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1980 Sep;29(3):1146-51
references.pmid: 6107276
references.citation: J Infect Dis. 1981 Apr;143(4):525-32
references.pmid: 6113259
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1981 Nov;34(2):503-7
references.pmid: 7309236
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1984 Apr;44(1):38-40
references.pmid: 6142863
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Jun;81(11):3471-5
references.pmid: 6374658
references.citation: EMBO J. 1982;1(8):945-51
references.pmid: 6329717
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1984 Aug;45(2):458-63
references.pmid: 6746100
references.citation: Gene. 1984 Sep;29(3):303-13
references.pmid: 6237955
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1985 Feb;47(2):446-51
references.pmid: 2578434
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 1986 Feb;165(2):367-72
references.pmid: 2867989
references.citation: J Mol Biol. 1986 May 5;189(1):113-30
references.pmid: 3537305
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Sep;69(9):5711-5
references.pmid: 12957968
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 1990 Jun;172(6):2911-9
references.pmid: 1971619
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1990 Aug;58(8):2706-9
references.pmid: 2370116
references.citation: J Mol Biol. 1990 Oct 5;215(3):403-10
references.pmid: 2231712
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1991 Jan;59(1):192-7
references.pmid: 1846124
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1991 Jan 25;266(3):1656-64
references.pmid: 1671038
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 1991 Feb;173(3):1175-80
references.pmid: 1671384
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1991 Mar;59(3):822-8
references.pmid: 1671777
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Apr 15;88(8):3281-5
references.pmid: 1901657
references.citation: Gene. 1991 Mar 15;99(2):255-9
references.pmid: 2022336
references.citation: J Mol Biol. 1991 May 5;219(1):37-44
references.pmid: 2023259
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 1992 May;6(10):1351-61
references.pmid: 1640836
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1993 Apr;61(4):1371-7
references.pmid: 7681046
references.citation: Annu Rev Microbiol. 1993;47:565-96
references.pmid: 7903032
references.citation: Gene. 1993 Dec 22;136(1-2):271-5
references.pmid: 8294016
references.citation: Gene. 1994 Dec 2;150(1):9-15
references.pmid: 7959070
references.citation: J Bacteriol. 1995 Sep;177(18):5294-302
references.pmid: 7665518
references.citation: Appl Environ Microbiol. 1996 Feb;62(2):717-24
references.pmid: 8593075
references.citation: Infect Immun. 1996 Jul;64(7):2834-8
references.pmid: 8698519
references.citation: Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 1996 Mar;24(3):165-7
references.pmid: 8724403
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 1996 Feb;19(4):857-69
references.pmid: 8820654
references.citation: Gene. 1997 Jun 11;192(1):99-108
references.pmid: 9224879
references.citation: Mol Microbiol. 1997 Jul;25(2):319-28
references.pmid: 9282744
references.citation: Science. 1998 Jun 26;280(5372):2114-8
references.pmid: 9641917