Cellobiose-specific phosphotransferase system of Klebsiella pneumoniae and its importance in biofilm formation and virulence.

ABSTRACT: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacillus belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. In the past 20 years, K. pneumoniae has become the predominant pathogen causing community-acquired pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). The formation of biofilm facilitates bacterial colonization and has been implicated in reduced susceptibility to the host immune response. To investigate genes related to biofilm formation in a PLA-associated K. pneumoniae strain, a transposon mutant library was screened by microtiter plate assay to identify isolates impaired for biofilm formation. One of the mutants was disrupted in celB, encoding the putative cellobiose-specific subunit IIC of enzyme II (EIIC) of a carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS). This transmembrane protein is responsible for recognizing a

SUBMITTER: Wu MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3416469 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature