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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Leetown, West Virginia » Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #238627
Title: Identification and characterization of flagellar biosynthetic genes in Yersinia ruckeri

Author
item Evenhuis, Jason
item LAPATRA, SCOTT - Clear Springs Foods, Inc
item Welch, Timothy - Tim

Submitted to: Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2009
Publication Date: 4/27/2009
Citation: Evenhuis, J., Lapatra, S., Welch, T.J. 2009. Identification and characterization of flagellar biosynthetic genes in Yersinia ruckeri. Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Using transposon mutagenesis we have identified a Yersinia ruckeri serovar I mutant defective in both motility and production of secreted lipase activity. Sequence analysis of this mutant revealed a single transposon insertion in an open reading frame (ORF) with homology to flhA, a flagellar biosynthetic gene residing within a large cluster of motility genes. Complementation analysis demonstrated that the insertion in flhA exerted a polar effect on the downstream flhE gene and that both flhA and flhE were necessary for production of flagellin, flagellar motility, and production of secreted lipase activity. Virulence studies using rainbow trout showed that the flhA mutant was unaltered in virulence as compared to its isogenic parent when tested using an immersion disease challenge model. Our results demonstrate that production of secreted lipase activity is dependent on flagellar motility and that neither of these activities is necessary for virulence.