title: ArcA Controls Metabolism, Chemotaxis, and Motility Contributing to the Pathogenicity of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli.
abstract: Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) strains cause one of the three most significant infectious diseases in the poultry industry and are also potential food-borne pathogens threating human health. In this study, we showed that ArcA (aerobic respiratory control), a global regulator important for E. coli's adaptation from anaerobic to aerobic conditions and control of that bacterium's enzymatic defenses against reactive oxygen species (ROS), is involved in the virulence of APEC. Deletion of arcA significantly attenuates the virulence of APEC in the duck model. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analyses comparing the APEC wild type and the arcA mutant indicate that ArcA regulates the expression of 129 genes, including genes involved in citrate transport and metabolism, flagellum synthesis, and chemotaxis. Further investigations revealed that citCEFXG contributed to APEC's microaerobic growth at the lag and log phases when cultured in duck serum and that ArcA played a dual role in the control of citrate metabolism and transportation. In addition, deletion of flagellar genes motA and motB and chemotaxis gene cheA significantly attenuated the virulence of APEC, and ArcA was shown to directly regulate the expression of motA, motB, and cheA. The combined results indicate that ArcA controls metabolism, chemotaxis, and motility contributing to the pathogenicity of APEC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fengwei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chunxia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yinli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Xuefeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Jernigan
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lithio
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nettleton
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Development, and Cellular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA Center for Metabolic Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Development, and Cellular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA Center for Metabolic Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Eve Syrkin
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Wurtele
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chengping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA liganwu@iastate.edu.
authors.forename: Ganwu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002633:Chemotaxis; D004372:Ducks; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C041610:arcA protein, E coli