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Infection and Immunity, January 2006, p. 537-548, Vol. 74, No. 1
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.1.537-548.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The UDP N-Acetylgalactosamine 4-Epimerase Gene Is Essential for Mesophilic Aeromonas hydrophila Serotype O34 Virulence

Rocío Canals, Natalia Jiménez, Silvia Vilches, Miguel Regué, Susana Merino, and Juan M. Tomás*

Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08071 Barcelona, Spain

Received 14 July 2005/ Returned for modification 24 August 2005/ Accepted 6 October 2005

Mesophilic Aeromonas hydrophila strains of serotype O34 typically express smooth lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on their surface. A single mutation in the gene that codes for UDP N-acetylgalactosamine 4-epimerase (gne) confers the O– phenotype (LPS without O-antigen molecules) on a strain in serotypes O18 and O34, but not in serotypes O1 and O2. The gne gene is present in all the mesophilic Aeromonas strains tested. No changes were observed for the LPS core in a gne mutant from A. hydrophila strain AH-3 (serotype O34). O34 antigen LPS contains N-acetylgalactosamine, while no such sugar residue forms part of the LPS core from A. hydrophila AH-3. Some of the pathogenic features of A. hydrophila AH-3 gne mutants are drastically reduced (serum resistance or adhesion to Hep-2 cells), and the gne mutants are less virulent for fish and mice compared to the wild-type strain. Strain AH-3, like other mesophilic Aeromonas strains, possess two kinds of flagella, and the absence of O34 antigen molecules by gne mutation in this strain reduced motility without any effect on the biogenesis of both polar and lateral flagella. The reintroduction of the single wild-type gne gene in the corresponding mutants completely restored the wild-type phenotype (presence of smooth LPS) independently of the O wild-type serotype, restored the virulence of the wild-type strain, and restored motility (either swimming or swarming).

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento Microbiología, Facultad Biología, Universidad Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08071 Barcelona, Spain. Phone: 34-93-4021486. Fax: 34-93-4039047. E-mail: jtomas{at}ub.edu.

Editor: D. L. Burns

Infection and Immunity, January 2006, p. 537-548, Vol. 74, No. 1
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.1.537-548.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Jimenez, N., Lacasta, A., Vilches, S., Reyes, M., Vazquez, J., Aquillini, E., Merino, S., Regue, M., Tomas, J. M. (2009). Genetics and Proteomics of Aeromonas salmonicida Lipopolysaccharide Core Biosynthesis. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2228-2236 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
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