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Journal of Bacteriology, August 2005, p. 5214-5223, Vol. 187, No. 15
0021-9193/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.187.15.5214-5223.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Resistance of Neisseria meningitidis to the Toxic Effects of Heme Iron and Other Hydrophobic Agents Requires Expression of ght

Andrew W. Rasmussen,1* Heather L. Alexander,1 Donna Perkins-Balding,1 William M. Shafer,1,2 and Igor Stojiljkovic1

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, 1510 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30322,1 Laboratories of Microbial Pathogenesis, VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia 300332

Received 28 January 2005/ Accepted 29 April 2005

Several genetic systems that allow the use of iron-protoporphyrin IX (heme) have been described for the pathogenic bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. However, many questions about the process of heme acquisition and utilization remain to be answered. To isolate and analyze unidentified genes that play a role in heme iron uptake and utilization, a Himar1 transposon mutant library was screened in N. meningitidis serogroup A strain IR4162. One locus identified by transposon mutagenesis conferred protection against heme toxicity. A mutant with a deletion in a gene termed ght (gene of hydrophobic agent tolerance) within this locus was susceptible to heme and other hydrophobic agents compared to the parental strain. Transcriptional analysis indicated that ght is cotranscribed with an upstream open reading frame NMA2149. Uncharacterized orthologues of ght were identified in many other gram-negative bacteria. We present genetic evidence for the importance of ght in resistance to hydrophobic agents and its potential role in interaction with other hydrophobic agent resistance mechanisms within N. meningitidis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, 1510 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30322. Phone: (404) 727-5968. Fax: (404) 727-3659. E-mail: awrasmu{at}emory.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, August 2005, p. 5214-5223, Vol. 187, No. 15
0021-9193/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.187.15.5214-5223.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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