This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Monk, I. R.
Right arrow Articles by Bremer, P. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Monk, I. R.
Right arrow Articles by Bremer, P. J.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Monk, I. R.
Right arrow Articles by Bremer, P. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2004, p. 6686-6694, Vol. 70, No. 11
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.11.6686-6694.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Morphotypic Conversion in Listeria monocytogenes Biofilm Formation: Biological Significance of Rough Colony Isolates

Ian R. Monk,1,{dagger} Gregory M. Cook,1 Brian C. Monk,2 and Philip J. Bremer3*

Department of Microbiology,1 Department of Oral Sciences,2 Department of Food Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand3

Received 18 April 2004/ Accepted 4 July 2004

Adherence to a stainless steel surface selected isolates of Listeria monocytogenes with enhanced surface colonization abilities and a change in phenotype from the common smooth colony morphology to a succession of rough colony morphotypes. Growth in broth culture of the best-adapted, surface-colonizing rough colony morphotype gave a smooth colony revertant. Comparative analysis revealed that the smooth and rough variants had similar phenotypic and biochemical characteristics (e.g., identical growth rates and tolerances to antibiotics and environmental stressors). Rough colony isolates, however, failed to coordinate motility or induce autolysis. The defect in autolysis of rough colony isolates, which involved impaired cellular localization of several peptidoglycan-degrading enzymes, including cell wall hydrolase A (CwhA), suggested a link to a secretory pathway defect. The genetic basis for the impairment was studied at the level of the accessory secretory pathway component SecA2. DNA sequencing of the secA2 gene in smooth and rough colony isolates found no mutations in the coding or promoter regions. Analysis of SecA2 expression with an integrated secA2-FLAG tag construct found the protein to be upregulated in the rough and revertant backgrounds compared to the parental smooth colony isolate. A compensatory mechanism involving the SecA2 secretion pathway components is postulated to control smooth to rough interconversion of L. monocytogenes. Such phenotypic variation may enhance the ability of this opportunistic pathogen to colonize environments as diverse as processing surfaces, food products, and animal hosts.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Food Science, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. Phone: 64-3-4795469. Fax: 64-3-4797567. E-mail: phil.bremer{at}stonebow.otago.ac.nz.

{dagger} Present address: Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2004, p. 6686-6694, Vol. 70, No. 11
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.11.6686-6694.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Mai-Prochnow, A., Lucas-Elio, P., Egan, S., Thomas, T., Webb, J. S., Sanchez-Amat, A., Kjelleberg, S. (2008). Hydrogen Peroxide Linked to Lysine Oxidase Activity Facilitates Biofilm Differentiation and Dispersal in Several Gram-Negative Bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 190: 5493-5501 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rieu, A., Briandet, R., Habimana, O., Garmyn, D., Guzzo, J., Piveteau, P. (2008). Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e Biofilms: No Mushrooms but a Network of Knitted Chains. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 4491-4497 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Monk, I. R., Gahan, C. G. M., Hill, C. (2008). Tools for Functional Postgenomic Analysis of Listeria monocytogenes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 3921-3934 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Koh, K. S., Lam, K. W., Alhede, M., Queck, S. Y., Labbate, M., Kjelleberg, S., Rice, S. A. (2007). Phenotypic Diversification and Adaptation of Serratia marcescens MG1 Biofilm-Derived Morphotypes. J. Bacteriol. 189: 119-130 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mai-Prochnow, A., Webb, J. S., Ferrari, B. C., Kjelleberg, S. (2006). Ecological Advantages of Autolysis during the Development and Dispersal of Pseudoalteromonas tunicata Biofilms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 5414-5420 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zhao, T., Podtburg, T. C., Zhao, P., Schmidt, B. E., Baker, D. A., Cords, B., Doyle, M. P. (2006). Control of Listeria spp. by Competitive-Exclusion Bacteria in Floor Drains of a Poultry Processing Plant.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 3314-3320 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Machata, S., Hain, T., Rohde, M., Chakraborty, T. (2005). Simultaneous Deficiency of both MurA and p60 Proteins Generates a Rough Phenotype in Listeria monocytogenes. J. Bacteriol. 187: 8385-8394 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»