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Infection and Immunity, August 2009, p. 3501-3513, Vol. 77, No. 8
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00090-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Comparative Analysis of the Locus of Enterocyte Effacement and Its Flanking Regions{triangledown}

Daniel Müller,1 Inga Benz,1 Ariane Liebchen,1 Inka Gallitz,1 Helge Karch,2 and M. Alexander Schmidt1*

Institut für Infektiologie, Zentrum für Molekularbiologie der Entzündung (ZMBE),1 Institut für Hygiene, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster/Universitätsklinikum Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany2

Received 23 January 2009/ Returned for modification 8 March 2009/ Accepted 26 May 2009

The attaching-and-effacing (A/E) phenotype mediated by factors derived from the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) is a hallmark of clinically important intestinal pathotypes of Escherichia coli, including enteropathogenic (EPEC), atypical EPEC (ATEC), and enterohemorrhagic E. coli strains. Epidemiological studies indicate that the frequency of diarrhea outbreaks caused by ATEC is increasing. Hence, it is of major importance to further characterize putative factors contributing to the pathogenicity of these strains and to gain additional insight into the plasticity and evolutionary aspects of this emerging pathotype. Here, we analyzed the two clinical ATEC isolates B6 (O26:K60) and 9812 (O128:H2) and compared the genetic organizations, flanking regions, and chromosomal insertion loci of their LEE with those of the LEE of other A/E pathogens. Our analysis shows that the core LEE is largely conserved—particularly among genes coding for the type 3 secretion system—whereas genes encoding effector proteins display a higher variability. Chromosomal insertion loci appear to be restricted to selC, pheU, and pheV. In contrast, striking differences were found between the 5'- and 3'-associated flanking regions reflecting the different histories of the various strains and also possibly indicating different lines in evolution.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Infektiologie, Zentrum für Molekularbiologie der Entzündung (ZMBE), Von-Esmarch-Str. 56, D-48149 Münster, Germany. Phone: 49 251 835 6466. Fax: 49 251 835 6467. E-mail: infekt{at}uni-muenster.de

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 8 June 2009.

Editor: J. B. Bliska

Infection and Immunity, August 2009, p. 3501-3513, Vol. 77, No. 8
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00090-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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