Overexpression of heat shock GroEL stress protein in leptospiral biofilm

- Biofilm formation in Leptospires is a new area of study and its molecular mechanism has not been fully explored yet.
- This study demonstrate the over expression of a stress protein associated with the Leptospira biofilm formation.
- GroEL is conserved, highly immunogenic and a prominent stress response protein among Leptospira spp.
- This study will help in understanding the mechanisms of biofilm formation in pathogenic Leptospira.

Leptospira is the causative agent of leptospirosis, which is an emerging zoonotic disease. Recent studies on Leptospira have demonstrated biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces. The protein expressed in the biofilm was investigated by using SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting in combination with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The proteins expressed in Leptospira biofilm and planktonic cells was analyzed and compared. Among these proteins, one (60 kDa) was found to overexpress in biofilm as compared to the planktonic cells. MALDI-TOF analysis identified this protein as stress and heat shock chaperone GroEL. Our findings demonstrate that GroEL is associated with Leptospira biofilm. GroEL is conserved, highly immunogenic and a prominent stress response protein in pathogenic Leptospira spp., which may have clinical relevance.