This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ridenour, D. A.
Right arrow Articles by Cirillo, J. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ridenour, D. A.
Right arrow Articles by Cirillo, J. D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, November 2003, p. 6256-6263, Vol. 71, No. 11
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.11.6256-6263.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Identification of a Gene That Affects the Efficiency of Host Cell Infection by Legionella pneumophila in a Temperature-Dependent Fashion

Dennis A. Ridenour, Suat L. G. Cirillo, Sheng Feng, Mustapha M. Samrakandi, and Jeffrey D. Cirillo*

Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583

Received 2 May 2003/ Returned for modification 14 July 2003/ Accepted 23 July 2003

The ability to infect host cells is critical for the survival and replication of intracellular pathogens in humans. We previously found that many genes involved in the ability of Legionella pneumophila to infect macrophages are not expressed efficiently under standard laboratory growth conditions. We have developed an approach using expression of L. pneumophila genes from an exogenous constitutive promoter on a low-copy-number vector that allows identification of genes involved in host cell infection. Through the use of this strategy, we found that expression of a gene, lvhB2, enhances the efficiency of L. pneumophila infection of mammalian cells. The putative protein encoded by lvhB2 has similarity to structural pilin subunits of type IV secretion systems. We confirmed that this gene plays a role in host cell infection by the construction of an in-frame deletion in the L. pneumophila lvhB2 gene and complementation of this mutant with the wild-type gene. The lvhB2 mutant does not display a very obvious defect in interactions with host cells when the bacteria are grown at 37°C, but it has an approximately 100-fold effect on entry and intracellular replication when grown at 30°C. These data suggest that lvhB2 plays an important role in the efficiency of host cell infection by L. pneumophila grown at lower temperatures.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Dept. Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 203 VBS, Fair and East Campus Loop, Lincoln, NE 68583. Phone: (402) 472-8587. Fax: (402) 472-9690. E-mail: jcirillo1{at}unl.edu.

Editor: J. D. Clements


Infection and Immunity, November 2003, p. 6256-6263, Vol. 71, No. 11
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.11.6256-6263.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Stewart, C. R., Rossier, O., Cianciotto, N. P. (2009). Surface Translocation by Legionella pneumophila: a Form of Sliding Motility That Is Dependent upon Type II Protein Secretion. J. Bacteriol. 191: 1537-1546 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Park, B., Subbian, S., El-Etr, S. H., Cirillo, S. L. G., Cirillo, J. D. (2008). Use of Gene Dosage Effects for a Whole-Genome Screen To Identify Mycobacterium marinum Macrophage Infection Loci. Infect. Immun. 76: 3100-3115 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • De Buck, E., Anne, J., Lammertyn, E. (2007). The role of protein secretion systems in the virulence of the intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila. Microbiology 153: 3948-3953 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chatfield, C. H., Cianciotto, N. P. (2007). The Secreted Pyomelanin Pigment of Legionella pneumophila Confers Ferric Reductase Activity. Infect. Immun. 75: 4062-4070 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lopez, J. E., Palmer, G. H., Brayton, K. A., Dark, M. J., Leach, S. E., Brown, W. C. (2007). Immunogenicity of Anaplasma marginale Type IV Secretion System Proteins in a Protective Outer Membrane Vaccine. Infect. Immun. 75: 2333-2342 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bandyopadhyay, P., Liu, S., Gabbai, C. B., Venitelli, Z., Steinman, H. M. (2007). Environmental Mimics and the Lvh Type IVA Secretion System Contribute to Virulence-Related Phenotypes of Legionella pneumophila. Infect. Immun. 75: 723-735 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • DebRoy, S., Dao, J., Soderberg, M., Rossier, O., Cianciotto, N. P. (2006). Legionella pneumophila type II secretome reveals unique exoproteins and a chitinase that promotes bacterial persistence in the lung. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 19146-19151 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Doleans-Jordheim, A., Akermi, M., Ginevra, C., Cazalet, C., Kay, E., Schneider, D., Buchrieser, C., Atlan, D., Vandenesch, F., Etienne, J., Jarraud, S. (2006). Growth-phase-dependent mobility of the lvh-encoding region in Legionella pneumophila strain Paris. Microbiology 152: 3561-3568 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Huang, B., Yuan, Z., Heron, B. A., Gray, B. R., Eglezos, S., Bates, J. R., Savill, J. (2006). Distribution of 19 major virulence genes in Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 isolates from patients and water in Queensland, Australia.. J Med Microbiol 55: 993-997 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Huang, B., Heron, B. A., Gray, B. R., Eglezos, S., Bates, J. R., Savill, J. (2004). A Predominant and Virulent Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Strain Detected in Isolates from Patients and Water in Queensland, Australia, by an Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Protocol and Virulence Gene-Based PCR Assays. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 4164-4168 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bandyopadhyay, P., Xiao, H., Coleman, H. A., Price-Whelan, A., Steinman, H. M. (2004). Icm/Dot-Independent Entry of Legionella pneumophila into Amoeba and Macrophage Hosts. Infect. Immun. 72: 4541-4551 [Abstract] [Full Text]