HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lügering, A. Articles by Schmidt, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lügering, A. Articles by Schmidt, M. A. Agricola Articles by Lügering, A. Articles by Schmidt, M. A.

The Pix pilus adhesin of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain X2194 (O2 : K^- : H6) is related to Pap pili but exhibits a truncated regulatory region

Institut für Infektiologie, Zentrum für Molekularbiologie der Entzündung (ZMBE), Von Esmarch Strasse 56, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany

Correspondence
M. Alexander Schmidt
infekt{at}uni-muenster.de

Adhesins provide a major advantage for uropathogenic Escherichia coli in establishing urinary tract infections (UTIs). A novel gene cluster responsible for the expression of a filamentous adhesin of the pyelonephritogenic E. coli strain X2194 has been identified, molecularly cloned, and characterized. The ‘pix operon’ contains eight open reading frames which exhibit significant sequence homology to corresponding genes in the pap operon encoding P pili, the prevalent E. coli adhesins in non-obstructive acute pyelonephritis in humans. Although a pixB gene corresponding to the PapB regulator was identified, a papI homologue could not be found in the pix operon. Instead, a fragment of the R6 gene of the highly uropathogenic E. coli strain CFT073 was identified upstream of pixB. The R6 gene is located in a pathogenicity island containing several pilus-encoding sequences and shows homology to a transposase of Chelatobacter heintzii. In a pixA–lacZ fusion system it was demonstrated that the expression of Pix pili is regulated at the transcriptional level by the R6 gene sequence. A significantly reduced transcription was observed by deleting this fragment and by lowering the growth temperature from 37 to 26 °C. In contrast to other filamentous adhesin systems, Pix pili are mainly expressed in the steady state growth phase and were not repressed by the addition of glucose.

The EMBL accession number for the sequences of the genes identified in the pix operon is AJ307043.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S.-P. Nuccio and A. J. Baumler Evolution of the Chaperone/Usher Assembly Pathway: Fimbrial Classification Goes Greek Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev., December 1, 2007; 71(4): 551 - 575. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Schneider, U. Dobrindt, H. Bruggemann, G. Nagy, B. Janke, G. Blum-Oehler, C. Buchrieser, G. Gottschalk, L. Emody, and J. Hacker The Pathogenicity Island-Associated K15 Capsule Determinant Exhibits a Novel Genetic Structure and Correlates with Virulence in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Strain 536 Infect. Immun., October 1, 2004; 72(10): 5993 - 6001. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]