Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae encodes multiple phase-variable DNA methyltransferases that control distinct phasevarions.

ABSTRACT: Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the cause of porcine pleuropneumonia, a severe respiratory tract infection that is responsible for major economic losses to the swine industry. Many host-adapted bacterial pathogens encode systems known as phasevarions (phase-variable regulons). Phasevarions result from variable expression of cytoplasmic DNA methyltransferases. Variable expression results in genome-wide methylation differences within a bacterial population, leading to altered expression of multiple genes via epigenetic mechanisms. Our examination of a diverse population of A. pleuropneumoniae strains determined that Type I and Type III DNA methyltransferases with the hallmarks of phase variation were present in this species. We demonstrate that phase variation is occurring in these methyl

SUBMITTER: Nahar N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10123105 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature