The role of F9 fimbriae of uropathogenic Escherichia coli in biofilm formation

1 School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia 2 Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia Correspondence Mark A. Schembri m.schembri{at}uq.edu.au Uropathogenic Escherichia col...

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Published in:	Microbiology (Society for General Microbiology) Vol. 153; no. 7; pp. 2321 - 2331
Main Authors:	Ulett, Glen C, Mabbett, Amanda N, Fung, Khe C, Webb, Richard I, Schembri, Mark A
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Reading Soc General Microbiol 01-07-2007 Society for General Microbiology
Subjects:	Adhesins, Bacterial - genetics Adhesins, Bacterial - metabolism Bacterial Adhesion - physiology Biofilms - growth & development Biological and medical sciences Escherichia coli Escherichia coli - physiology Escherichia coli Infections - microbiology Fimbriae, Bacterial - physiology Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Microbiology Urinary Tract Infections - microbiology Biofilm Bacteria Pilus Escherichia coli Enterobacteriaceae
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Summary:	1 School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia 2 Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia Correspondence Mark A. Schembri m.schembri{at}uq.edu.au Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the primary cause of urinary tract infection (UTI) in the developed world. The major factors associated with virulence of UPEC are fimbrial adhesins, which mediate attachment to specific receptors, enhance persistence and trigger innate host responses. UPEC produce a range of fimbrial adhesins, with type 1 and P fimbriae of the chaperone-usher subclass being the best characterized. The prototype UPEC strain CFT073 contains ten gene clusters that contain genes characteristic of this class of fimbriae. However, only five of these gene clusters have been characterized in detail. In this study the F9 fimbrial gene cluster ( c1931–c1936 ) from CFT073 has been characterized. The F9 fimbriae-encoding genes were PCR amplified, cloned and expressed in a K-12 background devoid of type 1 fimbriae. While F9 fimbrial expression was not associated with any haemagglutination or cellular adherence properties, a role in biofilm formation was observed. E. coli K-12 cells expressing F9 fimbriae produced a dense and uniform biofilm in both microtitre plate and continuous-flow biofilm model systems. In wild-type UPEC CFT073, expression of the F9 major subunit-encoding gene was detected during exponential growth in M9 minimal medium. F9 expression could also be detected following selection and enrichment for pellicle growth in a CFT073 fim foc double mutant. The F9 genes appear to be common in UPEC and other types of pathogenic E. coli . However, their precise contribution to disease remains to be determined. Abbreviations: SEM, scanning electron microscopy; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; UPEC, uropathogenic Escherichia coli ; UTI, urinary tract infection A supplementary table of primers is available with the online version of this paper.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1350-0872 1465-2080
DOI:	10.1099/mic.0.2006/004648-0