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This Article Full Text (Papers in Press[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: mic.0.026187-0v1 155/6/1832    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted 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 CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schwan, W. R Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Schwan, W. R Agricola Articles by Schwan, W. R

Survival of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli in the Murine Urinary Tract is Dependent on OmpR

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

ABSTRACT

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) can grow in environments with significantly elevated osmolarities, such as the murine or human urinary tract. OmpR is the response regulator part of a two component OmpR-EnvZ regulatory system that responds to osmotic stresses. To determine the role of OmpR in UPEC survival, a ompR mutant was created in the UPEC clinical isolate NU149. The ompR mutant had a growth defect compared to the wild type strain under osmotic stress conditions, which was complemented by the full-length ompR gene on a plasmid but not with a mutant OmpR with an alanine substitution for aspartic acid at the phosphorylation site at position 55. Furthermore, the ompR mutant displayed up to a two-log reduction in bacterial cell numbers in murine bladders and kidneys compared to wild type bacteria through five days of infection. The survivability of the bacteria was restored to wild type levels when the ompR mutant strain was complemented with the wild type ompR but not the alanine substituted ompR gene. This study has fulfilled molecular Koch's postulates by showing the pivotal role OmpR plays in UPEC survival within the murine urinary tract.

¹ E-mail: schwan.will{at}uwlax.edu