VimA mediates multiple functions that control virulence in Porphyromonas gingivalis

• Published in: Molecular oral microbiology 2013-06, Vol.28 (3), p.167-180
• Main Authors: Aruni, A.W., Robles, A., Fletcher, H.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetylation; Adhesins, Bacterial - genetics; Bacterial Adhesion - genetics; Cysteine Endopeptidases - genetics; Dentistry; Genes, Bacterial; gingipain; oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - genetics; Porphyromonas gingivalis; Porphyromonas gingivalis - genetics; Porphyromonas gingivalis - physiology; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; protein sorting; VimA; Virulence - genetics; virulence regulation
• ISSN: 2041-1006; 2041-1014
• DOI: 10.1111/omi.12017

Summary Porphyromonas gingivalis, a black‐pigmented, gram‐negative anaerobe, is an important etiological agent of periodontal disease. Its ability to survive in the periodontal pocket and orchestrate the microbial/host activities that can lead to disease suggest that P. gingivalis possesses a complex regulatory network involving transcriptional and post‐transcriptional mechanisms. The vimA (virulence modulating) gene is part of the 6.15‐kb bcp‐recA‐vimA‐vimE‐vimF‐aroG locus and plays a role in oxidative stress resistance. In addition to the glycosylation and anchorage of several surface proteins including the gingipains, VimA can also modulate sialylation, acetyl coenzyme A transfer, lipid A and its associated proteins and may be involved in protein sorting and transport. In this review, we examine the multifunctional role of VimA and discuss its possible involvement in a major regulatory network important for survival and virulence regulation in P. gingivalis. It is postulated that the multifunction of VimA is modulated via a post‐translational mechanism involving acetylation.