Identification of novel Listeria monocytogenes secreted virulence factors following mutational activation of the central virulence regulator, PrfA.

ABSTRACT: Upon bacterial entry into the cytosol of infected mammalian host cells, the central virulence regulator PrfA of Listeria monocytogenes becomes activated and induces the expression of numerous factors which contribute to bacterial pathogenesis. The mechanism or signal by which PrfA becomes activated during the course of infection has not yet been determined; however, several amino acid substitutions within PrfA (known as PrfA* mutations) that appear to lock the protein into a constitutively activated state have been identified. In this study, the PrfA activation statuses of several L. monocytogenes mutant strains were subjected to direct isogenic comparison and the mutant with the highest activity, the prfA(L140F) mutant, was identified. The prfA(L140F) strain was subsequently used as a too

SUBMITTER: Port GC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2168340 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature