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 Schneider, G.
Right arrow Articles by Hacker, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schneider, G.
Right arrow Articles by Hacker, J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, October 2004, p. 5993-6001, Vol. 72, No. 10
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.10.5993-6001.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Pathogenicity Island-Associated K15 Capsule Determinant Exhibits a Novel Genetic Structure and Correlates with Virulence in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Strain 536

György Schneider,1 Ulrich Dobrindt,1 Holger Brüggemann,2 Gábor Nagy,3 Britta Janke,1 Gabriele Blum-Oehler,1 Carmen Buchrieser,4 Gerhard Gottschalk,2 Levente Emödy,3 and Jörg Hacker1*

Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg,1 Institut für Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Göttingen, Germany,2 Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary,3 Institut Pasteur, Laboratoire de Génomique des Microorganismes Pathogènes, Paris, France4

Received 1 April 2004/ Returned for modification 11 May 2004/ Accepted 8 July 2004

The K15 capsule determinant of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain 536 (O6:K15:H31) is part of a novel 79.6-kb pathogenicity island (PAI) designated PAI V536 that is absent from the genome of nonpathogenic E. coli K-12 strain MG1655. PAI V536 shows typical characteristics of a composite PAI that is associated with the pheV tRNA gene and contains the pix fimbriae determinant as well as genes coding for a putative phosphoglycerate transport system, an autotransporter protein, and hypothetical open reading frames. A gene cluster coding for a putative general secretion pathway system, together with a kpsK15 determinant, is localized downstream of a truncated pheV gene ('pheV) also present in this chromosomal region. The distribution of genes present on PAI V536 was studied by PCR in different pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli isolates of various sources. Analysis of the 20-kb kps locus revealed a so far unknown genetic organization. Generally, the kpsK15 gene cluster resembles that of group 2 and 3 capsules, where two conserved regions (regions 1 and 3) are located up- or downstream of a highly variable serotype-specific region (region 2). Interestingly, recombination of a group 2 and 3 determinant may have been involved in the evolution of the K15 capsule-encoding gene cluster. Expression of the K15 capsule is important for virulence in a murine model of ascending urinary tract infection but not for serum resistance of E. coli strain 536.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany. Phone: 49 931 312575. Fax: 49 931 312578. E-mail: j.hacker{at}mail.uni-wuerzburg.de.

Editor: J. T. Barbieri

Infection and Immunity, October 2004, p. 5993-6001, Vol. 72, No. 10
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.10.5993-6001.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Johnson, J. R., Johnston, B., Kuskowski, M. A., Nougayrede, J.-P., Oswald, E. (2008). Molecular Epidemiology and Phylogenetic Distribution of the Escherichia coli pks Genomic Island. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 3906-3911 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Restieri, C., Garriss, G., Locas, M.-C., Dozois, C. M. (2007). Autotransporter-Encoding Sequences Are Phylogenetically Distributed among Escherichia coli Clinical Isolates and Reference Strains. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 1553-1562 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Willenbrock, H., Petersen, A., Sekse, C., Kiil, K., Wasteson, Y., Ussery, D. W. (2006). Design of a Seven-Genome Escherichia coli Microarray for Comparative Genomic Profiling. J. Bacteriol. 188: 7713-7721 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Brzuszkiewicz, E., Bruggemann, H., Liesegang, H., Emmerth, M., Olschlager, T., Nagy, G., Albermann, K., Wagner, C., Buchrieser, C., Emody, L., Gottschalk, G., Hacker, J., Dobrindt, U. (2006). How to become a uropathogen: Comparative genomic analysis of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 12879-12884 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Beloin, C., Michaelis, K., Lindner, K., Landini, P., Hacker, J., Ghigo, J.-M., Dobrindt, U. (2006). The Transcriptional Antiterminator RfaH Represses Biofilm Formation in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 188: 1316-1331 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kariyawasam, S., Johnson, T. J., Nolan, L. K. (2006). The pap Operon of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli Strain O1:K1 Is Located on a Novel Pathogenicity Island. Infect. Immun. 74: 744-749 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»