Distribution of the Bundle-Forming Pilus Structural Gene (bfpA) among Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) express an inducible bundle-forming pilus (BFP) associated with the presence of the EPEC adherence factor (EAF) plasmid and localized adherence (LA) on HEp-2 cells. The cloned structural gene (bfpA) encoding BFP was found to be specific for EPEC, as homologou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1993-10, Vol.168 (4), p.1037-1041
Main Authors: Girón, Jorge A., Donnenberg, Michael S., Martin, Wendy C., Jarvis, Karen G., Kaper, James B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Cell adhesion
Cell lines
Child
Cloning, Molecular
Concise Communications
Diarrhea
Diarrhea - microbiology
DNA Probes
Epidemiologic studies
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli - isolation & purification
Escherichia coli - pathogenicity
Escherichia coli Infections - microbiology
Fimbriae, Bacterial
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genes, Bacterial
Genetics
HeLa cells
Humans
Immunoblotting
Microbiology
Microscopy
Plasmids
Restriction Mapping
Tumor Cells, Cultured
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Summary:Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) express an inducible bundle-forming pilus (BFP) associated with the presence of the EPEC adherence factor (EAF) plasmid and localized adherence (LA) on HEp-2 cells. The cloned structural gene (bfpA) encoding BFP was found to be specific for EPEC, as homologous sequences were found only in EPEe and not in other enteropathogens. The bfpA probe was slightly more sensitive than the EAF probe; among EPEC strains with LA, the bfpA and EAF probes hybridized with 99% and 96% of the strains, respectively. Immunoblotting of whole celllysates of BFP-positive, EAF-positive or -negative, and LA-positive or -negative EPEC strains revealed variations in the size (18,500–21,000) of the expressed structural subunit of BFP, suggesting differences in processing that may account for discrepancies between the bfpA, EAF, and LA. Because the bfpA probe consists primarily of sequences encoding an important EPEC virulence factor, in contrast to the unknown function of sequences contained in the EAF probe, the bfpA probe may be useful in epidemiologic studies to detect EPEC.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/168.4.1037