The yejABEF operon of Salmonella confers resistance to antimicrobial peptides and contributes to its virulence

Eswarappa, Sandeepa M and Panguluri, Kiran Kumar and Hensel, Michael and Chakravortty, Dipshikha (2008) The yejABEF operon of Salmonella confers resistance to antimicrobial peptides and contributes to its virulence. In: The yejABEF operon of Salmonella confers resistance to antimicrobial peptides and contributes to its virulence, 154 (2). pp. 666-678.

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Abstract

Pathogenic micro-organisms have evolved many strategies to counteract the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that they encounter upon entry into host systems. These strategies play vital roles in the virulence of pathogenic micro-organisms. The Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium genome has a gene cluster consisting of yejA, yejB, yejE and yejF genes, which encode a putative ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter. Our study shows that these genes constitute an operon. We deleted the yejF gene, which encodes the ATPase component of the putative ABC transporter. The \Delta yejF strain showed increased sensitivity to protamine, melittin, polymyxin B, human defensin (HBD)-1 and HBD-2, and was compromised in its capacity to proliferate inside activated macrophages and epithelial cells. Inside Intestine 407 cells, Salmonella was found to co-localize with human defensins HD-5 and HBD-1; this suggests that the ability to counteract AMPs in the intracellular milieu is important for Salmonella. In a murine typhoid model, the \Delta yejF strain displayed decreased virulence when infected intragastrically. These findings suggest that the putative transporter encoded by the yejABEF operon is involved in counteracting AMPs, and that it contributes to the virulence of Salmonella.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	The yejABEF operon of Salmonella confers resistance to antimicrobial peptides and contributes to its virulence
Publisher:	Society for General Microbiology
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Society for General Microbiology.
Keywords:	Salmonella defensins
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Microbiology & Cell Biology
Date Deposited:	16 Jul 2008
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:47
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/14992

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