Role for Phosphoglucomutase in Vibrio fischeri-Euprymna scolopes Symbiosis
Open Access
- 15 September 2002
- journal article
- Published by American Society for Microbiology in Journal of Bacteriology
- Vol. 184 (18), 5121-5129
- https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.184.18.5121-5129.2002
Abstract
Vibrio fischeri , a luminescent marine bacterium, specifically colonizes the light organ of its symbiotic partner, the Hawaiian squid Euprymna scolopes. In a screen for V. fischeri colonization mutants, we identified a strain that exhibited on average a 10-fold decrease in colonization levels relative to that achieved by wild-type V. fischeri . Further characterization revealed that this defect did not result from reduced luminescence or motility, two processes required for normal colonization. We determined that the transposon in this mutant disrupted a gene with high sequence identity to the pgm (phosphoglucomutase) gene of Escherichia coli , which encodes an enzyme that functions in both galactose metabolism and the synthesis of UDP-glucose. The V. fischeri mutant grew poorly with galactose as a sole carbon source and was defective for phosphoglucomutase activity, suggesting functional identity between E. coli Pgm and the product of the V. fischeri gene, which was therefore designated pgm . In addition, lipopolysaccharide profiles of the mutant were distinct from that of the parent strain and the mutant exhibited increased sensitivity to various cationic agents and detergents. Chromosomal complementation with the wild-type pgm allele restored the colonization ability to the mutant and also complemented the other noted defects. Unlike the pgm mutant, a galactose-utilization mutant ( galK ) of V. fischeri colonized juvenile squid to wild-type levels, indicating that the symbiotic defect of the pgm mutant is not due to an inability to catabolize galactose. Thus, pgm represents a new gene required for promoting colonization of E. scolopes by V. fischeri .Keywords
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