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Volume 166, Issue 6

Editor's Choice A response regulator protein with antar domain, AvnR, in ATCC 17978 impacts its virulence and amino acid metabolism Free

Abstract

a Gram-negative coccobacillus, is notorious for its involvement in opportunistic infections around the world. Its resistance to antibiotics makes treatment of infections challenging. In this study, we describe a novel response regulator protein, AvnR (A1S_2006) that regulates virulence-related traits in ATCC17978. Sequence analysis suggests that AvnR is a CheY-like response regulator and contains the RNA-binding ANTAR (miR and asR ranscription nti-termination egulators) domain. We show that AvnR plays a role in regulating biofilm formation (on glass and plastic surfaces), surface motility, adhesion to A549 cells as well as in nitrogen metabolism in . RNA-Seq analysis revealed that deletion results in altered expression of more than 150 genes (116 upregulated and 42 downregulated). RNA-Seq data suggest that altered biofilm formation and surface motility observed in the deletion mutant is likely mediated by previously unknown pathways. Of note, was the altered expression of genes predicted to be involved in amino acid transport and metabolism in deletion mutant. Biolog phenotypic array showed that deletion of hampered ATCC17978’s ability to metabolize various nitrogen sources, particularly that of glutamic acid, serine, histidine, aspartic acid, isoleucine and arginine. Taken together our data show that AvnR, the first ANTAR protein described in affects virulence phenotypes as well as its ability to metabolize nitrogen sources.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): adherence , biofilm , nitrogen metabolism and signal transduction
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Award 2015-05550)
    • Principle Award Recipient: Ayush kumar
© 2020 The Authors
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2020-04-23
2024-04-25
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A response regulator protein with antar domain, AvnR, in Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978 impacts its virulence and amino acid metabolism
Microbiology 166, 554 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000913
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000913
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000913
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