Vibrio fischeri flagellin A is essential for normal motility and for symbiotic competence during initial squid light organ colonization.

ABSTRACT: The motile bacterium Vibrio fischeri is the specific bacterial symbiont of the Hawaiian squid Euprymna scolopes. Because motility is essential for initiating colonization, we have begun to identify stage-specific motility requirements by creating flagellar mutants that have symbiotic defects. V. fischeri has six flagellin genes that are uniquely arranged in two chromosomal loci, flaABCDE and flaF. With the exception of the flaA product, the predicted gene products are more similar to each other than to flagellins of other Vibrio species. Immunoblot analysis indicated that only five of the six predicted proteins were present in purified flagella, suggesting that one protein, FlaF, is unique with respect to either its regulation or its function. We created mutations in two genes, flaA and fl

SUBMITTER: Millikan DS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC421587 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature