Premium
Biological and virulence characteristics of the YqhC mutant of Salmonella
Author(s) -
Eakley Nicholas M.,
Bochsler Philip N.,
Gopal Reddy P.,
Fadl Amin A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2011.00387.x
Subject(s) - biology , virulence , salmonella , salmonella enterica , regulon , mutant , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , transcriptome , phenotype , gene expression , genetics , bacteria
Previous work by the present authors indicated a murein lipoprotein mutant of Salmonella shows a marked down‐regulation in expression of yqhC . Because YqhC is a putative DNA‐binding protein, it is likely involved in modulation of Salmonella genes. Deletion of yqhC renders Salmonella defective in invasion of intestinal epithelial cells, motility, and induction of cytotoxicity. In the present study, further attenuation in induction of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and histopathological lesions was seen in mice infected with the yqhC mutant. On the other hand, deletion of yqhC did not significantly affect the LD 50 in mice or the ability of Salmonella to survive and replicate in vivo . To better understand how YqhC affects Salmonella virulence and to identify factors potentially modulated by YqhC, comparative transcriptome and proteome analysis of the yqhC mutant and the WT Salmonella was performed. Data from these experiments indicate that deletion of yqhC significantly alters the transcription of several genes associated with the SPI‐1 encoded T3SS and flagellar regulons, correlating with the yqhC mutant phenotype. Overall, this study indicates that deletion of the yqhC gene causes a number of virulence‐related defects in vitro , but has a modest effect in vivo, despite affecting induction of inflammatory cytokines and histopathology.