title: The predicted ABC transporter AbcEDCBA is required for type IV secretion system expression and lysosomal evasion by Brucella ovis.
abstract: Brucella ovis is a major cause of reproductive failure in rams and it is one of the few well-described Brucella species that is not zoonotic. Previous work showed that a B. ovis mutant lacking a species-specific ABC transporter (ΔabcBA) was attenuated in mice and was unable to survive in macrophages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of this ABC transporter during intracellular survival of B. ovis. In HeLa cells, B. ovis WT was able to survive and replicate at later time point (48 hpi), whereas an ΔabcBA mutant was attenuated at 24 hpi. The reduced survival of the ΔabcBA mutant was associated with a decreased ability to exclude the lysosomal marker LAMP1 from its vacuolar membrane, suggesting a failure to establish a replicative niche. The ΔabcBA mutant showed a reduced abundance of the Type IV secretion system (T4SS) proteins VirB8 and VirB11 in both rich and acid media, when compared to WT B. ovis. However, mRNA levels of virB1, virB8, hutC, and vjbR were similar in both strains. These results support the notion that the ABC transporter encoded by abcEDCBA or its transported substrate acts at a post-transcriptional level to promote the optimal expression of the B. ovis T4SS within infected host cells.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Teane M A
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana P S
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mol
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Vidya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Atluri
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mariana N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Xavier
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Simone F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiane A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Paixão
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hélida M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renato L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Renee M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Tsolis
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D042061:Brucella ovis / Q000502:physiology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006367:HeLa Cells; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000382:microbiology; D050296:Microbial Viability; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000382:microbiology; D000069319:Type IV Secretion Systems / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D000069319:Type IV Secretion Systems