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Journal of Bacteriology, February 2006, p. 852-862, Vol. 188, No. 3
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.188.3.852-862.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Analysis of the Lateral Flagellar Gene System of Aeromonas hydrophila AH-3

Rocío Canals,1 Maria Altarriba,1 Silvia Vilches,1 Gavin Horsburgh,2 Jonathan G. Shaw,2 Juan M. Tomás,1* and Susana Merino1

Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08071 Barcelona, Spain,1 Division of Molecular and Genetic Medicine, University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield S10 2RX, United Kingdom2

Received 25 July 2005/ Accepted 21 October 2005

Mesophilic Aeromonas strains express a polar flagellum in all culture conditions, and certain strains produce lateral flagella on semisolid media or on surfaces. Although Aeromonas lateral flagella have been described as a colonization factor, little is known about their organization and expression. Here we characterized the complete lateral flagellar gene cluster of Aeromonas hydrophila AH-3 containing 38 genes, 9 of which (lafA-U) have been reported previously. Among the flgLL and lafA structural genes we found a modification accessory factor gene (maf-5) that is involved in formation of lateral flagella; this is the first time that such a gene has been described for lateral flagellar gene systems. All Aeromonas lateral flagellar genes were located in a unique chromosomal region, in contrast to Vibrio parahaemolyticus, in which the analogous genes are distributed in two different chromosomal regions. In A. hydrophila mutations in flhAL, lafK, fliJL, flgNL, flgEL, and maf-5 resulted in a loss of lateral flagella and reductions in adherence and biofilm formation, but they did not affect polar flagellum synthesis. Furthermore, we also cloned and sequenced the A. hydrophila AH-3 alternative sigma factor {sigma}54 (rpoN); mutation of this factor suggested that it is involved in expression of both types of flagella.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento Microbiología, Facultad Biología, Universidad Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08071 Barcelona, Spain. Phone: 34-93-4021486. Fax: 34- 93-4039047. E-mail: jtomas{at}ub.edu.


Journal of Bacteriology, February 2006, p. 852-862, Vol. 188, No. 3
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.188.3.852-862.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




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