Construction and characterization of a Burkholderia pseudomallei wzm deletion mutant.
In Burkholderia pseudomallei, the pathogen that causes melioidosis, the gene cluster encoding the capsular polysaccharide, is located on chromosome 1. Among the 19 capsular genes in this cluster, wzm has not been thoroughly studied. To study the function of wzm, we generated a deletion mutant and compared it with the wild-type strain. The mutant produced less biofilm in minimal media and was more sensitive to desiccation and oxidative stress compared with the wild-type strain, indicating that wzm is involved in biofilm formation and membrane integrity. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the bacterial cells of the mutant strain have more defined surfaces with indentations, whereas cells of the wild-type strain do not.
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
Chee-Wah
CW
Yuen
Eugene Boon Beng
EB
Ong
Suriani
S
Mohamad
Uyub Abdul
UA
Manaf
Nazalan
N
Najimudin
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018441:Biofilms; D016957:Burkholderia pseudomallei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003470:Culture Media; D003890:Desiccation / Q000379:methods; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D050296:Microbial Viability; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D005810:Multigene Family; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide