Characterization of a Campylobacter jejuni VirK protein homolog as a novel virulence determinant.
Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States. Despite significant recent advances, its mechanisms of pathogenesis are poorly understood. A unique feature of this pathogen is that, with some exceptions, it lacks homologs of known virulence factors from other pathogens. Through a genetic screen, we have identified a C. jejuni homolog of the VirK family of virulence factors, which is essential for antimicrobial peptide resistance and mouse virulence.
Section of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536, USA.
Veronica
V
Novik
Dirk
D
Hofreuter
Jorge E
JE
Galán
D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D019556:COS Cells; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D051379:Mice; D050296:Microbial Viability; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C545240:Cjj81176_1087 protein, Campylobacter jejuni; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D037521:Virulence Factors