Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3420916 | Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | 2008 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Burkholderia mallei, the aetiological agent of glanders disease, is a Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium. Despite numerous studies, the detailed mechanism of its pathogenesis is almost unknown. The presence of a type III secretion system (TTSS) is one of the known mechanisms associated with virulence. An intact TTSS indicates that B. mallei is able to secrete proteins in response to different environmental conditions, which could play an important role in pathogenesis. Therefore, characterization of the TTSS and identification of the secreted proteins associated with bacterial pathogenesis could provide crucial information for the development of a candidate vaccine. In the current study, we used an enzymatic reporter system to establish some of the conditions enabling TTS. Construction of the TTSS bopA mutant revealed that BopA is important for B. mallei invasion and intracellular survival. Overall, our study elucidates how BopA can aid in the optimization of TTS and defines the function of TTS effectors in bacterial intracellular survival and invasion.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Immunology and Microbiology
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Authors
Gregory C. Whitlock, D. Mark Estes, Glenn M. Young, Briana Young, Alfredo G. Torres,