Characterization of a macrophage-specific infectivity locus (milA) of Legionella pneumophila.

ABSTRACT: Legionella pneumophila has been shown to possess multiple genetic loci that play roles in its ability to survive within host cells. The mil (macrophage-specific infectivity loci) mutants of L. pneumophila exhibit a spectrum of defects in intracellular survival in and cytopathogenicity to macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells. This study characterizes one of the mil mutants (GB111). Intracellular growth of GB111 in macrophages was approximately 100- to 1,000-fold less than that of AA100, the parental strain, at 24 and 48 h postinfection. This defect in turn corresponded to a defect in cytopathogenicity. Sequence analysis of the affected GB111 open reading frame (ORF) revealed it to encode a putative transport protein, and the ORF was designated milA. The phenotypic defect of the milA mu

SUBMITTER: Harb OS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC97143 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature