title: Legionella pneumophila Philadelphia-1 tatB and tatC affect intracellular replication and biofilm formation.
abstract: Legionella pneumophila is a facultative intracellular human pathogen and an important cause of Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia. Recently, we showed the presence of a putative twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway in L. pneumophila Philadelphia-1. This secretion pathway is used to transport completely folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. The importance of the Tat pathway in L. pneumophila was investigated by constructing a tatB and a tatC mutant. Functionality of the Tat pathway was shown using a proven heterologous Tat substrate. It was shown that tatB and tatC are involved in intracellular replication in Acanthamoeba castellanii and differentiated U937 cells, and in biofilm forming ability. A putative Legionella Tat substrate was identified via 2D gel electrophoresis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000 Louvain, Belgium.
authors.forename: Emmy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Buck
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Eef
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meyen
authors.forename: Lieve
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Mellaert
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Geukens
authors.forename: Jozef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Anné
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lammertyn
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018441:Biofilms; D006801:Humans; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D020298:U937 Cells
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins