Genetically manipulated virulence of Yersinia enterocolitica

Abstract

Mobilizable virulence plasmids of Yersinia enterocolitica of serotypes 0:3 and 0:9 were constructed by cointegration of a mobilizable vector into the virulence plasmids. The obtained cointegrates were mobilized into plasmidless Y. enterocolitica strains of serotypes 0:3, 0:5, 0:8, and 0:9. The transfer experiments revealed the existence of two different subgroups of plasmid-associated traits. (i) Animal virulence functions (mouse lethality and conjuctivitis provocation) were only transferable to plasmid-cured derivatives of virulent parent strains (serotypes 0:3, 0:8, and 0:9), but they were not transferable to Y. enterocolitica antigen reference strains (serotypes 0:3 and 0:8) or to a plasmidless clinical isolate of serotype 0:5. A further striking result was that a serotype 0:8 strain regained the mouse lethality trait after receipt of a plasmid from a strain not lethal to mice. These results demonstrate that plasmid-mediated animal virulence functions are not uniformly expressed within Y. enterocolitica. (ii) The second subgroup of plasmid-mediated traits (calcium dependency, surface agglutinogens, HEp-2 cell adherence, and protein release) were transferable to all Y. enterocolitica recipient strains tested (serotypes 0:3, 0:5, 0:8, and 0:9 of different origin). For the first time HEp-2 cell adherence and temperature-induced release of five major protein species are described as transferable traits.

Monoclonal antibodies directed against plasmid-encoded released proteins of enteropathogenic Yersinia

“…Y. enterocolitica of serotypes O : 3 (strain Y-108) 0:8 (strain WA-314), 0:9 (strain Y-96) were described recently [21]. Y. enterocolitica serotype 0:5,27 and Y. pseudotuberculosis serotype I were provided by Dr. Aleksic, Hygienisches Institut, Hamburg, F.R.G.Y.…”

“…Recently, several virulence-associated Yersinia proteins were identified as being plasmid-encoded. The most intensively investigated ones are: (i) the high molecular-weight outer membrane protein, P1, that is responsible for autoagglutination [12,13]; (ii) the low molecular-weight outer membrane proteins of Y. enterocolitica of serotype O : 8, which are suggested to mediate serum resistance [10,14,15]; (iii) the V-antigen first described for Yersinia pestis [15,16] but also present on Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis [17][18][19]; and (iv) the proteins released into the supernatant when Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis are grown in calcium-deficient medium [21]. The released protein fraction, consisting of about 3 major proteins, exhibits a high degree of cross-reactivity among the group of enteropathogenic Yersinia, as demonstrated with polyclonal rabbit antiserum [22].…”

Yersinia pseudotuberculosisuses Ail and YadA to circumvent neutrophils by directing Yop translocation during lung infection

“…Of the known Yersinia adhesins, Invasin, Ail, pH 6 antigen and YadA have all been demonstrated to support translocation (Bliska et al, 1993;Mota and Cornelis, 2005;Mejía et al, 2008;Felek and Krukonis, 2009;Felek et al, 2010;Maldonado-Arocho et al, 2013). Specifically, Y. pestis has been shown to mediate translocation into HEp2 and THP-1 cells using adhesins Ail and pH 6 antigen (Felek and Krukonis, 2009;Felek et al, 2010;Tsang et al, 2010), Yptb uses Ail, YadA and Invasin (Bliska et al, 1993;Mejía et al, 2008;Maldonado-Arocho et al, 2013) and Y. enterocolitica uses Invasin and YadA (Heesemann et al, 1987;Kapperud et al, 1987;Visser et al, 1995;Uliczka et al, 2011).…”

Chromosome-mediated resistance of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O9 to intracellular killing by mouse peritoneal macrophages

“…Yersinia enterocolitica is a known invasive enteropathogen causing enteric infection in humans [1]. Only strains belonging to certain serotypes and biotypes are potential pathogens because they possess the chromosomal background necessary for pathogenicity, including the capacity to invade mammalian ceils [2,3]. The ail locus is related to the invasive phenotype, and it has been uniquely mechanisms.…”