This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Adin, D. M. Articles by Stabb, E. V. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Adin, D. M. Articles by Stabb, E. V. Agricola Articles by Adin, D. M. Articles by Stabb, E. V.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2008, p. 633-644, Vol. 74, No. 3
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02138-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of htrB and msbB Mutants of the Light Organ Symbiont Vibrio fischeri

Dawn M. Adin,¹ Nancy J. Phillips,² Bradford W. Gibson,² Michael A. Apicella,³ Edward G. Ruby,⁴ Margaret J. McFall-Ngai,⁴ Daniel B. Hall,⁵ and Eric V. Stabb^1*

Departments of Microbiology,¹ Statistics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia,⁵ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California,² Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242,³ Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin⁴

Received 18 September 2007/ Accepted 20 November 2007

Bacterial lipid A is an important mediator of bacterium-host interactions, and secondary acylations added by HtrB and MsbB can be critical for colonization and virulence in pathogenic infections. In contrast, Vibrio fischeri lipid A stimulates normal developmental processes in this bacterium's mutualistic host, Euprymna scolopes, although the importance of lipid A structure in this symbiosis is unknown. To further examine V. fischeri lipid A and its symbiotic function, we identified two paralogs of htrB (designated htrB1 and htrB2) and an msbB gene in V. fischeri ES114 and demonstrated that these genes encode lipid A secondary acyltransferases. htrB2 and msbB are found on the Vibrio "housekeeping" chromosome 1 and are conserved in other Vibrio species. Mutations in htrB2 and msbB did not impair symbiotic colonization but resulted in phenotypic alterations in culture, including reduced motility and increased luminescence. These mutations also affected sensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate, kanamycin, and polymyxin, consistent with changes in membrane permeability. Conversely, htrB1 is located on the smaller, more variable vibrio chromosome 2, and an htrB1 mutant was wild-type-like in culture but appeared attenuated in initiating the symbiosis and was outcompeted 2.7-fold during colonization when mixed with the parent. These data suggest that htrB2 and msbB play conserved general roles in vibrio biology, whereas htrB1 plays a more symbiosis-specific role in V. fischeri.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Georgia, Department of Microbiology, 1000 Cedar Street, Athens, GA 30602. Phone: (706) 542-2414. Fax: (706) 542-2674. E-mail: estabb{at}uga.edu

Published ahead of print on 7 December 2007.

---

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2008, p. 633-644, Vol. 74, No. 3
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02138-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Adin, D. M., Engle, J. T., Goldman, W. E., McFall-Ngai, M. J., Stabb, E. V. (2009). Mutations in ampG and Lytic Transglycosylase Genes Affect the Net Release of Peptidoglycan Monomers from Vibrio fischeri. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2012-2022 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Adin, D. M., Visick, K. L., Stabb, E. V. (2008). Identification of a Cellobiose Utilization Gene Cluster with Cryptic {beta}-Galactosidase Activity in Vibrio fischeri. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 4059-4069 [Abstract] [Full Text]