Requirement of flhA for swarming differentiation, flagellin export, and secretion of virulence-associated proteins in Bacillus thuringiensis.

ABSTRACT: Bacillus thuringiensis is being used worldwide as a biopesticide, although increasing evidence suggests that it is emerging as an opportunistic human pathogen. While phospholipases, hemolysins, and enterotoxins are claimed to be responsible for B. thuringiensis virulence, there is no direct evidence to indicate that the flagellum-driven motility plays a role in parasite-host interactions. This report describes the characterization of a mini-Tn10 mutant of B. thuringiensis that is defective in flagellum filament assembly and in swimming and swarming motility as well as in the production of hemolysin BL and phosphatidylcholine-preferring phospholipase C. The mutant strain was determined to carry the transposon insertion in flhA, a flagellar class II gene encoding a protein of the flagellar t

SUBMITTER: Ghelardi E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC135439 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature