title: Role of the flagellar basal-body protein, FlgC, in the binding of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis to host cells.
abstract: Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) infection in humans is often associated with the consumption of contaminated poultry products. Binding of the bacterium to the intestinal mucosa is a major pathogenic mechanism of Salmonella in poultry. Transposon mutagenesis identified flgC as a potential binding mutant of SE. Therefore, we hypothesize FlgC which plays a significant role in the binding ability of SE to the intestinal mucosa of poultry. To test our hypothesis, we created a mutant of SE in which flgC was deleted. We then tested the in vitro and in vivo binding ability of ∆flgC when compared to the wild-type SE strain. Our data showed a significant decrease in the binding ability of ∆flgC to intestinal epithelial cells as well as in the small intestine and cecum of poultry. Furthermore, the decrease in binding correlated to a defect in invasion as shown by a cell culture model using intestinal epithelial cells and bacterial recovery from the livers and spleens of chickens. Overall, these studies indicate FlgC is a major factor in the binding ability of Salmonella to the intestinal mucosa of poultry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1675 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Shippy
authors.forename: Nicholas M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Eakley
authors.forename: Dareen M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mikheil
authors.forename: Amin A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Fadl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D064652:Basal Bodies / Q000502:physiology*; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology; D002645:Chickens; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology*; D005407:Flagella / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000382:microbiology; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D012477:Salmonella enteritidis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors