title: Pyruvate kinase is necessary for Brucella abortus full virulence in BALB/c mouse.
abstract: Brucellosis, caused by a facultative intracellular pathogen Brucella, is one of the most prevalent zoonosis worldwide. Host infection relies on several uncanonical virulence factors. A recent research hotpot is the links between carbon metabolism and bacterial virulence. In this study, we found that a carbon metabolism-related pyruvate kinase (Pyk) encoded by pyk gene (locus tag BAB_RS24320) was associated with Brucella virulence. Determination of bacterial growth curves and resistance to environmental stress factors showed that Pyk plays an important role in B. abortus growth, especially under the conditions of nutrition deprivation, and resistance to oxidative stress. Additionally, cell infection assay showed that Pyk is necessary for B. abortus survival and evading fusion with lysosomes within RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, animal experiments exhibited that the Pyk deletion significantly reduced B. abortus virulence in a mouse infection model. Our results elucidated the role of the Pyk in B. abortus virulence and provided information for further investigation of Brucella virulence associated carbon metabolism.
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Jianpeng
authors: J
authors: Gao
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Mingxing
authors: M
authors: Tian
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Yanqing
authors: Y
authors: Bao
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Peng
authors: P
authors: Li
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Jiameng
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Chan
authors: C
authors: Ding
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Shaohui
authors: S
authors: Wang
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Li
authors: Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, People's Republic of China. yus@shvri.ac.cn.
authors: Shengqing
authors: S
authors: Yu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000382:microbiology; D011770:Pyruvate Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000067996:RAW 264.7 Cells; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D011770:Pyruvate Kinase