Legionella pneumophila catalase-peroxidases: cloning of the katB gene and studies of KatB function.

ABSTRACT: Legionella pneumophila, the causative organism of Legionnaires' pneumonia, is spread by aerosolization from man-made reservoirs, e.g. , water cooling towers and air conditioning ducts, whose nutrient-poor conditions are conducive to entrance into stationary phase. Exposure to starvation conditions is known to induce several virulence traits in L. pneumophila. Since catalase-peroxidases have been extremely useful markers of the stationary-phase response in many bacterial species and may be an avenue for identifying virulence genes in L. pneumophila, an investigation of these enzymes was initiated. L. pneumophila was shown to contain two bifunctional catalase-peroxidases and to lack monofunctional catalase and peroxidase. The gene encoding the KatB catalase-peroxidase was cloned and sequence

SUBMITTER: Bandyopadhyay P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC107585 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature