title: MalF is essential for persistence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum in vivo.
abstract: There is limited understanding of the molecular basis of virulence in the important avian pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum. To define genes that may be involved in colonization of chickens, a collection of mutants of the virulent Ap3AS strain of M. gallisepticum were generated by signature-tagged transposon mutagenesis. The collection included mutants with single insertions in the genes encoding the adhesin GapA and the cytadherence-related protein CrmA, and Western blotting confirmed that these mutants did not express these proteins. In two separate in vivo screenings, two GapA-deficient mutants (ST mutants 02-1 and 06-1) were occasionally recovered from birds, suggesting that GapA expression may not always be essential for persistence of strain Ap3AS. CrmA-deficient ST mutant 33-1 colonized birds poorly and had reduced virulence, indicating that CrmA was a significant virulence factor, but was not absolutely essential for colonization. ST mutant 04-1 contained a single transposon insertion in malF, a predicted ABC sugar transport permease, and could not be reisolated even when inoculated by itself into a group of birds, suggesting that expression of MalF was essential for persistence of M. galliseptium strain Ap3AS in infected birds.
authors: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors: Chi-Wen
authors: CW
authors: Tseng
authors: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Kanci
authors: Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, A-1210 Vienna, Austria.|INRA, ENVT, UMR 1225, 31076 Toulouse, France.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Citti
authors: Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, A-1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors: Renate
authors: R
authors: Rosengarten
authors: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors: Chien-Ju
authors: CJ
authors: Chiu
authors: Microbiology Department, Basic Medical College, Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, PR China.
authors: Zheng-Hong
authors: ZH
authors: Chen
authors: Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research, Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA.
authors: Steven J
authors: SJ
authors: Geary
authors: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors: Glenn F
authors: GF
authors: Browning
authors: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors: Philip F
authors: PF
authors: Markham
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D045686:Mycoplasma gallisepticum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors