YfbA, a Yersinia Pestis Regulator Required for Colonization and Biofilm Formation in the Gut of Cat Fleas

Overview

Journal J Bacteriol

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2014 Jan 7

PMID 24391055

Citations 12

Authors

Christina Tam

Owen Demke

Timothy Hermanas

Anthony Mitchell

Antoni P A Hendrickx

Olaf Schneewind

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

For transmission to new hosts, Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, replicates as biofilm in the foregut of fleas that feed on plague-infected animals or humans. Y. pestis biofilm formation has been studied in the rat flea; however, little is known about the cat flea, a species that may bridge zoonotic and anthroponotic plague cycles. Here, we show that Y. pestis infects and replicates as a biofilm in the foregut of cat fleas in a manner requiring hmsFR, two determinants for extracellular biofilm matrix. Examining a library of transposon insertion mutants, we identified the LysR-type transcriptional regulator YfbA, which is essential for Y. pestis colonization and biofilm formation in cat fleas.

Citing Articles

Transcriptional Regulation of hmsB, A Temperature-Dependent Small RNA, by RovM in Yersinia pestis Biovar Microtus.

Liu L, Liu W, He Y, Liu Y, Wu H, Zhang Y Curr Microbiol. 2023; 80(5):182.

PMID: 37046126 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-023-03293-1.

Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms That Mediate Transmission of by Fleas.

Hinnebusch B, Jarrett C, Bland D Biomolecules. 2021; 11(2).

PMID: 33546271 PMC: 7913351. DOI: 10.3390/biom11020210.

Interplay between Yersinia pestis and its flea vector in lipoate metabolism.

Bouvenot T, Dewitte A, Bennaceur N, Pradel E, Pierre F, Bontemps-Gallo S ISME J. 2021; 15(4):1136-1149.

PMID: 33479491 PMC: 8182812. DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-00839-0.

A refined model of how Yersinia pestis produces a transmissible infection in its flea vector.

Dewitte A, Bouvenot T, Pierre F, Ricard I, Pradel E, Barois N PLoS Pathog. 2020; 16(4):e1008440.

PMID: 32294143 PMC: 7185726. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008440.

Nutrient depletion may trigger the Yersinia pestis OmpR-EnvZ regulatory system to promote flea-borne plague transmission.

Bontemps-Gallo S, Fernandez M, Dewitte A, Raphael E, Gherardini F, Elizabeth P Mol Microbiol. 2019; 112(5):1471-1482.

PMID: 31424585 PMC: 6842400. DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14372.

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