Sfm Fimbriae Play an Important Role in the Pathogenicity of <i>Escherichia coli</i> CE129
Avian pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (APEC) is highly infective in poultry, causing significant economic losses to the poultry industry. As an extraintestinal pathogenic strain, adherence is a critical step in the infection. The functions of several adhesins, including type I, P, and...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Microbiology Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/7/160 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Avian pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (APEC) is highly infective in poultry, causing significant economic losses to the poultry industry. As an extraintestinal pathogenic strain, adherence is a critical step in the infection. The functions of several adhesins, including type I, P, and Curli fimbriae, have been extensively studied. However, the roles of other adhesins, like Sfm, remain largely unexplored. Sfm is widely present in <i>E. coli</i>. Although the Sfm cluster is an ortholog of the <i>fim</i> gene cluster of <i>Salmonella</i> type I fimbriae, the biological function of Sfm in APEC has not yet been elucidated. To investigate whether Sfm in APEC CE129 plays a role in virulence, in this study, we constructed recombinant strains by expressing Sfm in the fimbriae-deficient strain SE5000. Additionally, a CE129 <i>sfmA</i> mutant strain was constructed. The resulting changes in adherence, biofilm formation, resistance to macrophage phagocytosis, and resistance to serum bactericidal ability were observed. The adherence ability of CE129Δ<i>sfmA</i> was reduced by 41%. HD-11 cells demonstrated a 30% increase in the phagocytosis of CE129Δ<i>sfm</i>A, and a 50% reduction in SE5000 (pBR322-<i>sfm</i>). The <i>sfm</i> deletion mutant showed a 23.9% reduction in the resistance to serum bactericidal ability, while SE5000 (pBR322-<i>sfm</i>) displayed a 32% increase. SE5000 (pBR322-<i>sfm</i>) exhibited a 34% increase in biofilm formation, and CE129Δ<i>sfmA</i> demonstrated a 21% decrease. Real-time PCR was employed to examine the impact of Sfm deletion on the transcription level of key virulence factors (<i>fimA</i>, <i>fliC</i>, <i>papC</i>, <i>tsh</i>, <i>ompA</i>, and <i>iss</i>). The results indicated that Sfm in CE129 is closely associated with bacterial adherence and survivability, contributing to biofilm formation and influencing the expression of key virulence factors. This study yields initial insight into the functional roles of Sfm in APEC and provides a foundation for the effective control of <i>E. coli</i> in the poultry industry. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2036-7481 |