title: Trehalase plays a role in macrophage colonization and virulence of Burkholderia pseudomallei in insect and mammalian hosts.
abstract: Trehalose is a disaccharide formed from two glucose molecules. This sugar molecule can be isolated from a range of organisms including bacteria, fungi, plants and invertebrates. Trehalose has a variety of functions including a role as an energy storage molecule, a structural component of glycolipids and plays a role in the virulence of some microorganisms. There are many metabolic pathways that control the biosynthesis and degradation of trehalose in different organisms. The enzyme trehalase forms part of a pathway that converts trehalose into glucose. In this study we set out to investigate whether trehalase plays a role in both stress adaptation and virulence of Burkholderia pseudomallei. We show that a trehalase deletion mutant (treA) had increased tolerance to thermal stress and produced less biofilm than the wild type B. pseudomallei K96243 strain. We also show that the ΔtreA mutant has reduced ability to survive in macrophages and that it is attenuated in both Galleria mellonella (wax moth larvae) and a mouse infection model. This is the first report that trehalase is important for bacterial virulence.
authors.affiliation: a College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter , Exeter , UK.|b Department of Microbiology and Immunology , Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand.
authors.forename: Muthita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanaporn
authors.affiliation: c CBR Division, Defense Science and Technology Laboratory , Salisbury , UK.
authors.forename: Mitali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarkar-Tyson
authors.affiliation: a College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter , Exeter , UK.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kovacs-Simon
authors.affiliation: c CBR Division, Defense Science and Technology Laboratory , Salisbury , UK.
authors.forename: Philip M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ireland
authors.affiliation: b Department of Microbiology and Immunology , Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand.
authors.forename: Pornpan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pumirat
authors.affiliation: d Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine , Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand.
authors.forename: Sunee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korbsrisate
authors.affiliation: a College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter , Exeter , UK.
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Titball
authors.affiliation: a College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter , Exeter , UK.
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Butt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D016957:Burkholderia pseudomallei / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology*; D008554:Melioidosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D009036:Moths / Q000382:microbiology*; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013696:Temperature; D014198:Trehalase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014199:Trehalose / Q000378:metabolism; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors; D014199:Trehalose; D014198:Trehalase
keywords: Burkholderia pseudomallei; Galleria mellonella; biofilm; thermal stress; trehalase; trehalose; virulence