Purine biosynthesis-deficient Burkholderia mutants are incapable of symbiotic accommodation in the stinkbug.

ABSTRACT: The Riptortus-Burkholderia symbiotic system represents a promising experimental model to study the molecular mechanisms involved in insect-bacterium symbiosis due to the availability of genetically manipulated Burkholderia symbiont. Using transposon mutagenesis screening, we found a symbiosis-deficient mutant that was able to colonize the host insect but failed to induce normal development of host's symbiotic organ. The disrupted gene was identified as purL involved in purine biosynthesis. In vitro growth impairment of the purL mutant and its growth dependency on adenine and adenosine confirmed the functional disruption of the purine synthesis gene. The purL mutant also showed defects in biofilm formation, and this defect was not rescued by supplementation of purine derivatives. When inocu

SUBMITTER: Kim JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3930311 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature