Journal article
Role of MrkJ, a Phosphodiesterase, in Type 3 Fimbrial Expression and Biofilm Formation in Klebsiella pneumoniae
Journal of bacteriology, Vol.192(15), pp.3944-3950
08/01/2010
DOI: 10.1128/JB.00304-10
PMCID: PMC2916373
PMID: 20511505
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen that has been shown to adhere to human extracellular matrices using the type 3 fimbriae. Introduction of plasmids carrying genes known to alter intracellular cyclic-di-GMP pools in Vibrio parahaemolyticus revealed that these genes also altered type 3 fimbrial surface expression in K. pneumoniae. Immediately adjacent to the type 3 fimbrial gene cluster is a gene, mrkJ, that is related to a family of bacterial genes encoding phosphodiesterases. We identify here a role for MrkJ, a functional phosphodiesterase exhibiting homology to EAL domain-containing proteins, in controlling type 3 fimbria production and biofilm formation in K. pneumoniae. Deletion of mrkJ resulted in an increase in type 3 fimbria production and biofilm formation as a result of the accumulation of intracellular cyclic-di-GMP. This gene was shown to encode a functional phosphodiesterase via restoration of motility in a V. parahaemolyticus strain previously shown to accumulate cyclic-di-GMP and in vitro using phosphodiesterase activity assays. The effect of the mrkJ mutation on type 3 fimbrial expression was shown to be at the level of mrkA gene transcription by using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. These results reveal a previously unknown role for cyclic-di-GMP in type 3 fimbrial production.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Role of MrkJ, a Phosphodiesterase, in Type 3 Fimbrial Expression and Biofilm Formation in Klebsiella pneumoniae
- Creators
- Jeremiah G. Johnson - University of IowaSteven Clegg - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of bacteriology, Vol.192(15), pp.3944-3950
- Publisher
- Amer Soc Microbiology
- DOI
- 10.1128/JB.00304-10
- PMID
- 20511505
- PMCID
- PMC2916373
- ISSN
- 0021-9193
- eISSN
- 1098-5530
- Number of pages
- 7
- Grant note
- R01AI050011 / NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID) R01 AI050011 / National Institutes of Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/01/2010
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Record Identifier
- 9984696727002771
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