Journal article
Contribution of the pst-phoU operon to cell adherence by atypical enteropathogenic escherichia coli and virulence of Citrobacter rodentium
C Cheng, SM Tennant, KI Azzopardi, V Bennett-Wood, EL Hartland, RM Robins-Browne, M Tauschek
Infection and Immunity | Published : 2009
DOI: 10.1128/IAI.01246-08
Abstract
Strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) generally employ the adhesins bundle-forming pili (Bfp) and intimin to colonize the intestine. Atypical EPEC strains possess intimin but are negative for Bfp and, yet, are able to cause disease. To identify alternative adhesins to Bfp in atypical EPEC, we constructed a transposon mutant library of atypical EPEC strain E128012 (serotype O114:H2) using TnphoA. Six mutants that had lost the ability to adhere to HEp-2 cells were identified, and in all six mutants TnphoA had inserted into the pstSCAB-phoU (Pst) operon. To determine if the Pst operon is required for adherence, we used site-directed mutagenesis to construct a pstCA mutant of E1280..
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Funding Acknowledgements
[ "We are grateful to Danijela Krmek and Kim Huett for assisting with C. rodentium infections, to Lee Sau Fung for assistance with tissue culture, and to Ji Yang and Judyta Praszkier for valuable advice.", "This work was supported by grants from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council." ]