Abstract

FlgN plays important roles in the adhesion of Aeromonas hydrophila to host mucus

Author(s): X. Jiang, Y.X. Qin, G.F. Lin, L. Huang, B. Huang, W.S. Huangand Q.P. Yan

Adhesion to the host mucus is a crucial step in the early infection stage of pathogenic bacteria. To investigate the mechanisms of the adhesion of Aeromonas hydrophila to its host mucus, a mutant library was constructed using the mini-Tn10 transposon mutagenesis system. Of 276 individual colonies, the mutant strain with the most attenuated adhesion ability in this study was screened out and designated A77. Molecular analysis showed that a 414-bp sequence flanking mini-Tn10 in A77 had the highest identity (97%) with the bacterial flagellar protein gene flgN. A complemented strain flgN+ was constructed and the biological characteristics of the wild-type, mutant A77, and complemented flgN+ strains were investigated. The results showed that the decreased abilities of motility, adhesion to mucus, and biofilm formation in the mutant strain were partially recovered in the complemented flgN+ strain, which suggested that flgN plays an important role in the adhesion of A. hydrophila to its host.

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