Role of the Yersinia pestis phospholipase D (Ymt) in the initial aggregation step of biofilm formation in the flea.

ABSTRACT: Transmission of Yersinia pestis by fleas depends on the formation of condensed bacterial aggregates embedded within a gel-like matrix that localizes to the proventricular valve in the flea foregut and interferes with normal blood feeding. This is essentially a bacterial biofilm phenomenon, which at its end stage requires the production of a Y. pestis exopolysaccharide that bridges the bacteria together in a cohesive, dense biofilm that completely blocks the proventriculus. However, bacterial aggregates are evident within an hour after a flea ingests Y. pestis, and the bacterial exopolysaccharide is not required for this process. In this study, we characterized the biochemical composition of the initial aggregates and demonstrated that the yersinia murine toxin (Ymt), a

SUBMITTER: Jarrett CO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11237439 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature