MrkH, a novel c-di-GMP-dependent transcriptional activator controls Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilm formation by regulating type 3 fimbriae expression
- Publisher:
- Public Library Science
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Wilksch Jonathan et al. 2011, 'MrkH, a novel c-di-GMP-dependent transcriptional activator controls Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilm formation by regulating type 3 fimbriae expression', Public Library Science, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 1002204-1-1002204-22.
- Issue Date:
- 2011
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Klebsiella pneumoniae causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly amongst hospitalized individuals. The principle mechanism for pathogenesis in hospital environments involves the formation of biofilms, primarily on implanted medical devices. In this study, we constructed a transposon mutant library in a clinical isolate, K. pneumoniae AJ218, to identify the genes and pathways implicated in biofilm formation. Three mutants severely defective in biofilm formation contained insertions within the mrkABCDF genes encoding the main structural subunit and assembly machinery for type 3 fimbriae. Two other mutants carried insertions within the yfiN and mrkJ genes, which encode GGDEF domain- and EAL domain-containing c-di-GMP turnover enzymes, respectively. The remaining two isolates contained insertions that inactivated the mrkH and mrkI genes, which encode for novel proteins with a c-di-GMP-binding PilZ domain and a LuxR-type transcriptional regulator, respectively.
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