• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제44권2호
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• pp.31-36
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• 2019

Streptococcus mutans is one of the important bacteria that forms dental biofilm and cause dental caries. Virulence genes in S. mutans can be classified into the genes involved in bacterial adhesion, extracellular polysaccharide formation, biofilm formation, sugar uptake and metabolism, acid tolerance, and regulation. The genes involved in bacterial adhesion are gbps (gbpA, gbpB, and gbpC) and spaP. The gbp genes encode glucan-binding protein (GBP) A, GBP B, and GBP C. The spaP gene encodes cell surface antigen, SpaP. The genes involved in extracellular polysaccharide formation are gtfs (gtfB, gtfC, and gtfD) and ftf, which encode glycosyltransferase (GTF) B, GTF C, and GTF D and fructosyltransferase, respectively. The genes involved in biofilm formation are smu630, relA, and comDE. The smu630 gene is important for biofilm formation. The relA and comDE genes contribute to quorumsensing and biofilm formation. The genes involved in sugar uptake and metabolism are eno, ldh, and relA. The eno gene encodes bacterial enolase, which catalyzes the formation of phosphoenolpyruvate. The ldh gene encodes lactic acid dehydrogenase. The relA gene contributes to the regulation of the glucose phosphotransferase system. The genes related to acid tolerance are atpD, aguD, brpA, and relA. The atpD gene encodes $F_1F_0$-ATPase, a proton pump that discharges $H^+$ from within the bacterium to the outside. The aguD gene encodes agmatine deiminase system and produces alkali to overcome acid stress. The genes involved in regulation are vicR, brpA, and relA.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제39권5호
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• pp.417-429
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• 2023

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) is a soil borne plant pathogen causing bacterial wilt on various important crops, including Solanaceae plants. The bacterial pathogens within the RSSC produce exopolysaccharide (EPS), a highly complicated nitrogencontaining heteropolymeric polysaccharide, as a major virulence factor. However, the biosynthetic pathway of the EPS in the RSSC has not been fully characterized. To identify genes in EPS production beyond the EPS biosynthetic gene operon, we selected the EPS-defective mutants of R. pseudosolanacearum strain SL341 from Tn5-inserted mutant pool. Among several EPSdefective mutants, we identified a mutant, SL341P4, with a Tn5-insertion in a gene encoding a putative NDP-sugar epimerase, a putative membrane protein with sugar-modifying moiety, in a reverse orientation to EPS biosynthesis gene cluster. This protein showed similar to other NDP-sugar epimerases involved in EPS biosynthesis in many phytopathogens. Mutation of the NDP-sugar epimerase gene reduced EPS production and biofilm formation in R. pseudosolanacearum. Additionally, the SL341P4 mutant exhibited reduced disease severity and incidence of bacterial wilt in tomato plants compared to the wild-type SL341 without alteration of bacterial multiplication. These results indicate that the NDP-sugar epimerase gene is required for EPS production and bacterial virulence in R. pseudosolanacearum.

• 한국어병학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.239-244
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• 2010

Here, we have cloned and sequenced Streptococcus parauberis pgm gene, encoding the enzyme phosphoglucomutase (PGM), which is known to be in association with virulence in other streptococcal species. The PGM of S. parauberis is the most closely related to that of S. iniae based on their amino acid sequences.

• Mycobiology
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• 제47권2호
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• pp.207-216
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• 2019

Talaromyces marneffei is the only dimorphic species in its genus and causes a fatal systemic mycosis named talaromycosis. Our previous study indicated that knockdown of AcuD gene (encodes isocitrate lyase of glyoxylate bypass) of T. marneffei by RNA interference approach attenuated the virulence of T. marneffei, while the virulence of the AcuD knockout strains was not studied. In this study, T. marneffei-zebrafish infection model was successfully established through hindbrain microinjection with different amounts of T. marneffei yeast cells. After co-incubated at $28^{\circ}C$, the increasing T. marneffei inoculum doses result in greater larval mortality; and hyphae generation might be one virulence factor involved in T. marneffei-zebrafish infection. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the virulence of the ${\Delta}AcuD$ was significantly attenuated in this Zebrafish infection model.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제54권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2018

원핵 세포는 핵양체 결합 단백질(NAP)로 알려진 다양한 히스톤 유사 단백질을 가지고 있다. 이들은 DNA의 AT-rich 서열에 결합하여, DNA 자체를 감싸거나, 구부리거나, 떨어져 있는 DNA 가닥을 연결시키는 다리 역할을 하여, 결국에는 원핵 생물의 유전자 발현을 조절한다. NAP는 특히 전사의 억제 기능을 가지고 있기 때문에, 유전자 발현 억제에 있어서 이들의 역할과, 구체적인 메커니즘을 밝히는 것을 매우 중요한 일이다. 본 논문에서는 잘 알려져 있는 NAP인 H-NS와 HU에 대하여 정리하였고, 특히 E. coli와 Salmonella Typhimurium에서 이들의 유전자 발현에 대한 기능을 요약하였다. H-NS는 이들의 올리고머화와 필라멘트 구조 형성을 통하여 Salmonella와 같은 사람에 감염하는 병원성 세균의 독성유전자 발현을 억제할 수 있고, 이런 기능을 수행하였을 때 다른 NAP와 함께 작용할 수 있다. 최근에 H-NS는 사람에게 typhoid fever와 systemic disease를 발생시키는 독성물질인, typhoid toxin의 발현 또한 조절할 수 있음이 밝혀졌다. Salmonella에서 HU 또한 독성 유전자뿐만 아니라, 이들의 생리적 기능에 중요한 유전자들의 발현을 조절할 수 있다. 따라서, H-NS와 HU와 같은 NAP들이 원핵 생물의 독성 유전자 발현의 분자적인 메커니즘을 밝히는데 중요한 요소임을 제시한다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.515-519
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• 2004

Listeria spp. were isolated from a total of 402 naturally contaminated domestic ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable samples by the conventional Food and Drug Administration protocol and confinned by API-Listeria kit. Also, the susceptibility to 12 antibiotics, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for virulence gene of pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes isolates, and in vitro virulence assay using myeloma and hybridoma cells from murine and human sources were tested. Among the samples, 17 samples (4.2％) were found to be contaminated with Listeria species. Among the 17 strains of Listeria spp. isolates, only 2 strains (11.8％) of L. monocytogenes and 15 strains (88.2％) of L. innocua were identified. Antibiotic susceptibility test showed that the Listeria spp. isolates were very susceptible to the antibiotics tested, except for nalidixic acid. Among 17 strains of Listeria spp., PCR analysis showed that 2 strains of L. monocytogenes isolates proved to have a virulence hly gene, but none of L. innocua had the hly gene. Also, hybridoma Ped-2E9 cells assay showed that only L. monocytogenes isolates killed approximately 95-99％ hybridoma cells after 6 h, but L. innocua isolates had about 0-5％ lethal effect. These results indicate that PCR assay with hly primer or hybridoma Ped-2E9 cells assay could be used as a good monitoring tool or in vitro virulence test for L. monocytogenes.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.364-373
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• 2013

It has been known that most regulation of pathogenicity factor (rpf ) genes in xanthomonads regulates virulence in response to the diffusible signal factor, DSF. Although many rpf genes have been functionally characterized, the function of rpfE is still unknown. We cloned the rpfE gene from a Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) Korean race KACC10859 and generated mutant strains to elucidate the role of RpfE with respect to the rpf system. Through experiments using the rpfE-deficient mutant strain, we found that mutation in rpfE gene in Xoo reduced virulence, swarm motility, and production of virulence factors such as cellulase and extracellular polysaccharide. Disease progress by the rpfE-deficient mutant strain was significantly slowed compared to disease progress by the wild type and the number of the rpfE-deficient mutant strain was lower than that of the wild type in the early phase of infection in the inoculated rice leaf. The rpfE mutant strain was unable to utilize sucrose or xylose as carbon sources efficiently in culture. The mutation in rpfE, however, did not affect DSF synthesis. Our results suggest that the rpfE gene regulates the virulence of Xoo under different nutrient conditions without change of DSF production.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제47권2호
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• pp.310-316
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• 2019

Distribution of Salmonella enterica serovars and their associated virulence determinants is wide-spread among food animals, which are continuously implicated in periodic salmonellosis outbreaks globally. The aim of this study was to determine and evaluate the diversity of five Salmonella serovar virulence genes (invA, pefA, cdtB, spvC and iroN) isolated from food animals and humans. Using standard microbiological techniques, Salmonella spp. were isolated from the feces of humans and three major food animals. Virulence determinants of the isolates were assayed using PCR. Clonal relatedness of the dominant serovar was determined via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using the restriction enzyme, Xbal. Seventy one Salmonella spp. were isolated and serotyped into 44 serovars. Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS; 68) accounted for majority (95.8%) of the Salmonella serovars. Isolates from chicken (34) accounted for 47.9% of all isolates, out of which S. Budapest (14) was predominant (34.8%). However, the dominant S. Budapest serovars showed no genetic relatedness. The invA gene located on SPI-1 was detected in all isolates. Furthermore, 94% of the isolates from sheep harbored the spvC genes. The iroN gene was present in 50%, 100%, 88%, and 91% of isolates from human, chicken, sheep, and cattle, respectively. The pefA gene was detected in 18 isolates from chicken and a single isolate from sheep. Notably, having diverse Salmonella serovars containing plasmid encoded virulence genes circulating the food chain is of public health significance; hence, surveillance is required.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.157-163
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• 2018

In order for monitoring of pathogenic bacterial contamination in the freshly slaughtered poultry meats produced in Gyeong-Nam province, we first isolated 4 strains of Salmonella spp. and 32 strains of Enterococcus faecalis from the total 164 samples, then we analyzed potential virulence gene profiles of the bacterial isolates by PCR using species-specific primer. The potential virulence genes we selected in this study were stn, invA, fimA, spvR, and spvC for the isolates of Salmonella spp. and those of esp, cylM, cylA, cylB, gelE, fsrA, fsrB, and fsrC were for the isolates of E. faecalis. The PCR results showed that all 5 virulence genes were detected simultaneously in the all isolates of Salmonella spp. However, there was a diverse occurrence pattern of the virulence genes in the case of E. faecalis. The gene for enterococcal surface protein (esp) was not detected among the isolates (0/32), and the haemolysin gene prevalence rate of cylA, cylB, and cylM were 3.1% (1/32), 9.3% (3/32), and 9.3% (3/32), respectively. Moreover, the genes of gelE, fsrA, fsrB, and fsrC that associated with gelatinase activity were detected in the rate of 53.1% (17/32), 53.1% (17/32), 53.1% (17/32), and 53.1% (17/32), respectively. In conclusion, in the isolates of Salmonella spp., all possessed 5 virulence genes tested, suggesting that they are all related with each other clonally. However, in the case of E. faecalis isolates, the occurrence of the haemolysin genes (cylM, cylA, cylB) and the gelatinase genes (gelE, fsrABC) was highly variable among the isolates.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.149-154
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• 2003

Numerous virulence factors such as O antigen have been proposed to account for the fulminating and destructive nature of V. vulnificus infections. To better characterize the role of O antigen, a pmm gene encoding a phosphomannomutase was identified and cloned from V. vulnificus. The deduced amino acid sequence of the pmm was 42 to 71% similar to that reported from other Enterobacteriaceae. Functions of the pmm gene in virulence were assessed by the construction of an isogenic mutant, whose pmm gene was inactivated by allelic exchanges, and by evaluating its phenotype changes in vitro and in mice. The disruption of pmm resulted in a loss of more than 90% of phosphomannomutase, and reintroduction of recombinant pmm could complement the decrease of phosphomannomutase activity, indicating that the pmm gene encodes the phosphomannomutase of V. vulnificus. There was no difference in the $LD_50S$ of the wild-type and the pmm mutant in mice, but the $LD_50S$ observed by the mutant complemented with recombinant pmm were lower. Therefore, it appears that PMM is less important in the pathogenesis of V. vulnificus than would have been predicted by examining the effects of injecting purified LPS into animals, but it is not completely dispensable for virulence in mice.