title: TheoppDGene and Putative Peptidase Genes May Be Required for Virulence in Mycoplasma gallisepticum.
abstract: Relatively few virulence genes have been identified in pathogenic mycoplasmas, so we used signature-tagged mutagenesis to identify mutants of the avian pathogenMycoplasma gallisepticumwith a reduced capacity to persistin vivoand compared the levels of virulence of selected mutants in experimentally infected chickens. Four mutants had insertions in one of the two incompleteoppABCDFoperons, and a further three had insertions in distinct hypothetical genes, two containing peptidase motifs and one containing a member of a gene family. The three hypothetical gene mutants and the two with insertions inoppD1were used to infect chickens, and all five were shown to have a reduced capacity to induce respiratory tract lesions. OneoppD1mutant and the MGA_1102 and MGA_1079 mutants had a greatly reduced capacity to persist in the respiratory tract and to induce systemic antibody responses againstM. gallisepticumThe otheroppD1mutant and the MGA_0588 mutant had less capacity than the wild type to persist in the respiratory tract but did elicit systemic antibody responses. AlthoughM. gallisepticumcarries two incompleteoppoperons, one of which has been acquired by horizontal gene transfer, our results suggest that one of the copies ofoppDmay be required for full expression of virulence. We have also shown that three hypothetical genes, two of which encode putative peptidases, may be required for full expression of virulence inM. gallisepticum.None of these genes has previously been shown to influence virulence in pathogenic mycoplasmas.
authors.affiliation: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Chi-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.affiliation: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Chien-Ju
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanci
authors.affiliation: INRA, ENVT, UMR 1225, Toulouse, France.|Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Citti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosengarten
authors.affiliation: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia glenfb@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Glenn F
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0903-2469
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Browning
authors.affiliation: Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Philip F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Markham
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics*; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D045686:Mycoplasma gallisepticum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Mycoplasma gallisepticum; oppD; virulence