Similar Requirements of a Plant Symbiont and a Mammalian Pathogen =
Rcjohnsen
Similar Requirements of a Plant Symbiont and a Mammalian Pathogen for Prolo=
nged
Intracellular Survival=20
Sci 287:2492-2493
K. LeVier, 1 R. W. Phillips, 2 V. K. Grippe, 2 R. M. Roop II, 2 G. C. Walke=
r 1*
Brucella abortus, a mammalian pathogen, and Rhizobium meliloti, a
phylogenetically related plant symbiont, establish chronic infections in th=
eir
respective hosts. Here a highly conserved B.=A0abortus homolog of the R.=A0=
meliloti
bacA gene, which encodes a putative cytoplasmic membrane transport protein
required for symbiosis, was identified. An isogenic B.=A0abortus bacA mutan=
t
exhibited decreased survival in macrophages and greatly accelerated clearan=
ce
from experimentally infected mice compared to the virulent parental strain.
Thus, the bacA gene product is critical for the maintenance of two very div=
erse
host-bacterial relationships. =20
1 Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, =
MA
02139,=A0USA.=20
2 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Hea=
lth
Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA 71130,=A0USA.=20
*=A0=A0 To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gwa...@mit.edu=
=20
Can provide PDF version if interested
Roger
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