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Infection and Immunity, December 2008, p. 5768-5776, Vol. 76, No. 12
0019-9567/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00160-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Mutation of Two Mycoplasma arthritidis Surface Lipoproteins with Divergent Functions in Cytadherence{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Daniel W. Bird, Kelly Graber, Allison Knutson, and Leigh R. Washburn*

Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069

Received 6 February 2008/ Returned for modification 9 June 2008/ Accepted 3 September 2008

Mycoplasma arthritidis is a natural pathogen of rats, causing an acute polyarthritis. Previous studies identified two membrane-bound lipoproteins, Maa1 and Maa2, thought to be associated with cytadherence of M. arthritidis strain 158p10p9. We have since confirmed that Maa1 is a major adhesin, although the role of Maa2 has proven more elusive. Both proteins were capable of eliciting protective immunity in rats against challenge with the virulent strain 158p10p9, suggesting that they may be important in pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to better understand the roles of Maa1 and Maa2 in cytadherence in vitro. Insertion mutants were created for both genes by transposon mutagenesis. In vitro adherence of the Maa1 mutant KOMaa1 to rat L2 lung cells was reduced to the level previously reported for a spontaneous low-adherence mutant of 158p10p9 in which Maa1 is truncated and nonfunctional. Surprisingly, adherence of the Maa2 mutant KOMaa2 was approximately fivefold greater than that of the wild type. Complementation of KOMaa1 and KOMaa2 with wild-type alleles of maa1 and maa2, respectively, returned adherence to wild-type levels. This work confirms our earlier observation that Maa1 is a major adhesin for M. arthritidis strain 158p10p9. Maa2, on the other hand, may play a suppressive or modulatory role, possibly serving to release organisms from microcolonies at certain stages of infection.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069-2390. Phone: (605) 677-5170. Fax: (605) 677-6381. E-mail: leigh.washburn{at}usd.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 15 September 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://iai.asm.org/.

Editor: V. J. DiRita

Infection and Immunity, December 2008, p. 5768-5776, Vol. 76, No. 12
0019-9567/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00160-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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