Abstract
Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei are closely related Gram-negative bacteria responsible for the infectious diseases melioidosis and glanders, respectively. Autotransporters (ATs) comprise a large and diverse family of secreted and outer membrane proteins that includes virulence-associated invasins, adhesins, proteases, and actin-nucleating factors. The B. pseudomallei K96243 genome contains 11 predicted ATs, eight of which share homologs in the B. mallei ATCC 23344 genome. This review distils key findings from in silico, in vitro, and in vivo studies on the ATs of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei. To date, the best characterized of the predicted ATs of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei is BimA, a predicted trimeric AT mediating actin-based motility which varies in sequence and mode of action between Burkholderia species. Of the remaining eight predicted B. pseudomallei trimeric autotransporters, five of which are also present in B. mallei, two (BoaA and BoaB), have been implicated in bacterial adhesion to epithelial cells. Several predicted Burkholderia ATs are recognized by human humoral and cell-mediated immunity, indicating that they are expressed during infection and may be useful for diagnosis and vaccine-mediated protection. Further studies on the mode of secretion and functions of Burkholderia ATs will facilitate the rational design of control strategies.
Highlights
BURKHOLDERIA PSEUDOMALLEI AND BURKHOLDERIA MALLEI Melioidosis, a febrile illness with disease states ranging from acute pneumonia or septicemia to chronic or localized abscess formation, was first documented by Whitmore and Krishnaswami (1912)
CONCLUDING REMARKS On the basis of homology and the precedent of phenotypes for AT mutants in other bacteria, it is reasonable to infer that ATs predicted to be encoded in the genomes of pathogenic Burkholderia species may play a role in pathogenesis and immunity
In the short time since annotation of the genomes of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei, it has been established that several putative ATs mediate bacterial interactions with host cells
Summary
BURKHOLDERIA PSEUDOMALLEI AND BURKHOLDERIA MALLEI Melioidosis, a febrile illness with disease states ranging from acute pneumonia or septicemia to chronic or localized abscess formation, was first documented by Whitmore and Krishnaswami (1912). The translocation of ATs is dependent on periplasmic chaperones and the Bam complex via a mechanism which remains to be elucidated but which appears to be mediated by interaction with the β domain of the ATs. This would account for the observation that the C-terminal domains of TAAs from diverse bacterial species are functionally interchangeable (Ackermann et al, 2008).
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