Discovery of in vivo Virulence Genes of Obligatory Intracellular Bacteria by Random Mutagenesis.

ABSTRACT: Ehrlichia spp. are emerging tick-borne obligatory intracellular bacteria that cause febrile and sometimes fatal diseases with abnormal blood cell counts and signs of hepatitis. Ehrlichia HF strain provides an excellent mouse disease model of fatal human ehrlichiosis. We recently obtained and established stable culture of Ehrlichia HF strain in DH82 canine macrophage cell line, and obtained its whole genome sequence and annotation. To identify genes required for in vivo virulence of Ehrlichia, we constructed random insertional HF strain mutants by using Himar1 transposon-based mutagenesis procedure. Of total 158 insertional mutants isolated via antibiotic selection in DH82 cells, 74 insertions were in the coding regions of 55 distinct protein-coding genes,

SUBMITTER: Bekebrede H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7010607 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature