Inactivation of the core cheVAWY chemotaxis genes disrupts chemotactic motility and organised biofilm formation in Campylobacter jejuni

Citations Over Time

Abstract

ABSTRACT Flagellar motility plays a central role in the bacterial foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni , as flagellar motility is required for reaching the intestinal epithelium and subsequent colonisation or disease. Flagellar proteins also contribute strongly to biofilm formation during transmission. Chemotaxis is the process directing flagellar motility in response to attractant and repellent stimuli, but its role in biofilm formation of C. jejuni is not well understood. Here we show that inactivation of the core chemotaxis genes cheVAWY in C. jejuni strain NCTC 11168 affects both chemotactic motility and biofilm formation. Inactivation of any of the core chemotaxis genes ( cheA , cheY , cheV or cheW ) impaired chemotactic motility but did not affect flagellar assembly or growth. The Δ cheY mutant swam in clockwise loops, while complementation restored normal motility. Inactivation of the core chemotaxis genes interfered with the ability to form a discrete biofilm at the air-media interface, and the Δ cheY mutant displayed reduced dispersal/shedding of bacteria into the planktonic fraction. This suggests that while the chemotaxis system is not required for biofilm formation per se , it is necessary for organized biofilm formation. Hence interference with the Campylobacter chemotaxis system at any level disrupts optimal chemotactic motility and transmission modes such as biofilm formation.

Related Papers

• Campylobacter: molecular and cellular biology.(2005)
• → Amino‐terminal residues dictate the export efficiency of the Campylobacter jejuni filament proteins via the flagellum(2010)31 cited
• → Phenotypes of Campylobacter jejuni luxS Mutants Are Depending on Strain Background, Kind of Mutation and Experimental Conditions(2014)18 cited
• → CEP164C regulates flagellum length in stable flagella(2020)16 cited
• → Identification through Culture and Molecular Methods of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter fetus in Surface Waters in Rasht(2019)