Virulence | |
Global regulator DksA modulates virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii | |
Joo Hee Son1  Hyo Jeong Kim1  Kyeongmin Kim1  Yoo Jeong Kim1  Nayeong Kim1  Minsang Shin1  Je Chul Lee1  | |
[1] Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Kore; | |
关键词: Acinetobacter baumannii; DksA; virulence; quorum sensing system; biofilm formation; | |
DOI : 10.1080/21505594.2021.1995253 | |
来源: Taylor & Francis | |
【 摘 要 】
DksA with (p)ppGpp regulates a wide range of gene transcriptions during the stringent response. The aim of this study was to identify a DksA ortholog in Acinetobacter baumannii and clarify the roles of DksA in bacterial physiology and virulence. The ∆dksA mutant and its complemented strains were constructed using A. baumannii ATCC 17978. The AlS_0248 in A. baumannii ATCC 17978 was identified to dksA using sequence homology, protein structure prediction, and gene expression patterns under different culture conditions. The ∆dksA mutant strain showed a filamentous morphology compared with the wild-type (WT) strain. Bacterial growth was decreased in the ∆dksA mutant strain under static conditions. Surface motility was decreased in the ∆dksA mutant strain compared with the WT strain. In contrast, biofilm formation was increased and biofilm-associated genes, such as bfmR/S and csuC/D/E, were upregulated in the ∆dksA mutant strain. The ∆dksA mutant strain produced less autoinducers than the WT strain. The expression of abaI and abaR was significantly decreased in the ∆dksA mutant strain. Furthermore, the ∆dksA mutant strain showed less bacterial burden and milder histopathological changes in the lungs of mice than the WT strain. Mice survival was also significantly different between the ∆dksA mutant and WT strains. Conclusively, DksA is directly or indirectly involved in regulating a wide range of genes associated with bacterial physiology and virulence, which contributes to the pathogenesis of A. baumannii. Thus, DksA is a potential anti-virulence target for A. baumannii infection.
【 授权许可】
CC BY
【 预 览 】
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RO202111264609370ZK.pdf | 4000KB | download |