Analysis of Type IV pilin in Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Date
2022-05
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative bacterium that is ubiquitous in the
marine environment and is also a human pathogen that when ingested induces
gastroenteritis. This bacterium expresses on its surface rod like hair-like appendages
called pili. Pili are important for bacterial adherence to surfaces such as shellfish and
human cells. The V. parahaemolyticus genome contains several different pili, but the
most common class of pili is the type IV. In V. parahaemolyticus, four type IV pili
have been identified, two of which are TAD Caulobacter Pilin Assembly (CPA) type
IV pilins, as well as the mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA), and the chitin regulated pilus (ChiRP/Pil). MSHA pilin is required for adherence, biofilm
production, and twitching motility. CHiRP is required for adherence to chitin surfaces
and natural transformation for DNA uptake. This study focused on the characterization
of one of the two TAD CPA type IV pilins, the TAD1 CPA type IV pilin. In this work,
a non-functional TAD1 mutant strain was constructed by deleting the pilin protein
encoded by the VP2423 gene creating a ∆VP2423 mutant. The mutant strain was then
characterized using growth pattern analysis and phenotypic assays: swimming and
swarming assays, capsule polysaccharide production, and biofilm formation. The
mutant strain grew similar to wild type in all these assays.
Description
Keywords
Bacterium, Pili, Mutant strain