Ethanolamine and choline promote expression of putative and characterized fimbriae in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7.

ABSTRACT: Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is an important food-borne pathogen responsible for disease outbreaks worldwide. In order to colonize the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract and cause disease, EHEC must be able to sense the host environment and promote expression of virulence genes essential for adherence. Ethanolamine (EA) is an important metabolite for EHEC in the GI tract, and EA is also a signal that EHEC uses to activate virulence traits. Here, we report that EA influenced EHEC adherence to epithelial cells and fimbrial gene expression. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR indicated that EA promoted the transcription of the genes in characterized and putative fimbrial operons. Moreover, putative fimbrial structures were produced by EHEC cells grown with EA but not in

SUBMITTER: Gonyar LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3911853 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature