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Infection and Immunity, August 2009, p. 3209-3217, Vol. 77, No. 8
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00109-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Capability of Catabolic Utilization of N-Acetylneuraminic Acid, a Sialic Acid, Is Essential for Vibrio vulnificus Pathogenesis {triangledown}

Hee Gon Jeong,1 Man Hwan Oh,1 Byoung Sik Kim,1 Min Young Lee,2 Ho Jae Han,2 and Sang Ho Choi1*

National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Agricultural Biomaterials, and Research institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921,1 Department of Veterinary Physiology, Biotherapy Human Resources Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, South Korea2

Received 29 January 2009/ Returned for modification 28 February 2009/ Accepted 21 May 2009

N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac, sialic acid) could provide a good substrate for enteropathogenic bacteria in the intestine, when the bacteria invade and colonize in human gut. In order to analyze the role of Neu5Ac catabolism in Vibrio vulnificus pathogenesis, a mutant with disruption of the nanA gene encoding Neu5Ac lyase was constructed by allelic exchanges. The nanA mutant was not able to utilize Neu5Ac as a sole carbon source and revealed an altered colony morphotype with reduced opacity in the presence of Neu5Ac. Compared to the wild type, the nanA mutant exhibited a low level of cytotoxicity toward INT-407 epithelial cells in vitro and reduced virulence in a mouse model. The disruption of nanA also resulted in a substantial decrease in histopathological damage in jejunum and colon tissues from the mouse intestine. These results indicated that NanA plays an important role in V. vulnificus pathogenesis. In addition, the nanA mutant was significantly diminished in growth with and adherence to INT-407 epithelial cells in vitro, and was defective for intestinal colonization, reflecting the impaired ability of the mutant to grow and survive with, persist in, and adhere to the intestine in vivo. Consequently, the combined results suggest that NanA and the capability of catabolic utilization of Neu5Ac contribute to V. vulnificus virulence by ensuring growth, adhesion, and survival during infection.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-921, South Korea. Phone: 82-2-880-4857. Fax: 82-2-873-5095. E-mail: choish{at}snu.ac.kr

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 1 June 2009.

Editor: S. R. Blanke

Infection and Immunity, August 2009, p. 3209-3217, Vol. 77, No. 8
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00109-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Steenbergen, S. M., Jirik, J. L., Vimr, E. R. (2009). YjhS (NanS) Is Required for Escherichia coli To Grow on 9-O-Acetylated N-Acetylneuraminic Acid. J. Bacteriol. 191: 7134-7139 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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