The gene locus yijP contributes to Escherichia coli K1 invasion of brain microvascular endothelial cells.

ABSTRACT: Most cases of Escherichia coli meningitis develop as a result of hematogenous spread, but it is not clear how circulating E. coli crosses the blood-brain barrier. A TnphoA mutant of E. coli K1 RS218 was shown to be significantly less invasive than its parent strain in bovine and human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC), which constitute the blood-brain barrier. More importantly, traversal of the blood-brain barrier was significantly less with this mutant than with the parent strain in newborn rats with experimental hematogenous meningitis. A DNA segment containing the TnphoA insertion site was cloned from RS218, and the cloned DNA complemented the TnphoA mutant in invasion of BMEC. Nucleotide sequence revealed a near identity to that of a hypothetical yijP gene (also called f577)

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC96805 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature