The Twin-Arginine Translocation System Is Important for Stress Resistance and Virulence of Brucella melitensis
Xin Yan, Sen Hu, Yan Yang, Da Xu, Huoming Li, Wenxing Liu, Xijun He, Ganwu Li, Wentong Cai, Zhigao Bu
Abstract
Brucella , the causative agent of brucellosis, is a stealthy intracellular pathogen that is highly pathogenic to a range of mammals, including humans. The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway transports folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane and has been implicated in virulence in many bacterial pathogens. However, the roles of the Tat system and related substrates in Brucella remain unclear. We report here that disruption of Tat increases the sensitivity of Brucella melitensis M28 to the membrane stressor sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), indicating cell envelope defects, as well as to EDTA.
Topics & Concepts
VirulenceBrucella melitensisBiologyChromosomal translocationMicrobiologyBrucellaVirologyBrucellosisGeneticsGeneBrucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatmentSalmonella and Campylobacter epidemiologyAnimal Diversity and Health Studies