Metabolic diversity in Campylobacter jejuni enhances specific tissue colonization.
Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne illness in industrialized countries. This pathogen exhibits significant strain-to-strain variability, which results in differences in virulence potential and clinical presentations. Here, we report that acquisition of the capacity to utilize specific nutrients enhanced the ability of a highly pathogenic strain of C. jejuni to colonize specific tissues. The acquisition of a gene encoding a gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase enabled this strain to utilize glutamine and glutathione and enhanced its ability to colonize the intestine. Furthermore, the acquisition of a DNA segment, which added a sec-dependent secretion signal to an otherwise cytoplasmic asparaginase, allowed this pathogen to utilize asparagine and to more efficiently colonize the liver. Our results reveal that subtle genetic changes in a bacterial pathogen result in significant changes in its ability to colonize specific tissues. In addition, these studies revealed remarkably specific nutritional requirements for a pathogen to effectively colonize different tissues.
Hofreuter
Dirk
D
Section of Microbial Pathogenesis, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 295 Congress Avenue, New Haven, CT 06536, USA.
Novik
Veronica
V
Galán
Jorge E
JE
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001215:Asparaginase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D014774:Virulence; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D000596:Amino Acids; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D001215:Asparaginase; D005978:Glutathione