Identification of a new virulence factor, BvfA, in Brucella suis.
We report the identification of BvfA (for Brucella virulence factor A), a small periplasmic protein unique to the genus Brucella, which is essential for the virulence of Brucella suis. A BvfA knockout mutant was highly attenuated both in in vitro macrophage infection assays and in vivo in the murine model of brucellosis. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis with green fluorescent protein fusions showed that the expression of bvfA is induced within macrophages by phagosome acidification and coregulated with the B. suis virB operon, suggesting that it too may play a role in the establishment of the intracellular replication niche.
Lavigne
Jean-Philippe
JP
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U431, Faculté de Médecine, Avenue Kennedy, 30900 Nimes, France.
Patey
Gilles
G
Sangari
Felix J
FJ
Bourg
Gisèle
G
Ramuz
Michel
M
O'Callaghan
David
D
Michaux-Charachon
Sylvie
S
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D041021:Brucella suis / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C109227:YopP protein, Yersinia