Functional analysis of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli R049 gene

The objective of this study was to determine the function of the novel uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) gene R049 during host infection. We infected the urinary tracts of mice with E. coli UPEC132 or the R049 deletion mutant UPEC132ΔR049.The mouse kidneys were harvested at 4 and 8 h post-infection and screened for differentially expressed genes by microarray analysis. We identified 379 and 515 differentially expressed genes at 4 and 8 h post-infection, respectively. Thirty-four of these genes were associated with inflammatory and immune signaling pathways, including those related to mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, leukocyte transendothelial migration, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, Toll-like receptor signaling, and apoptosis. Protein binding (GO 0005515) was the most prevalent molecular function in the Gene Ontology terms related to differentially expressed genes. In conclusion, R049 expression in UPEC132 is related to the early innate immune and inflammatory responses in UPEC-infected hosts. This work lays the foundation for further research on anti-infective immunity against UPEC.