Virulence of a T6SS Campylobacter jejuni chicken isolate from North Romania

Objectives: In this study we have investigated the in vitro and in vivo virulence characteristics of a new T6SS positive Campylobacter jejuni chicken isolate (SV12) originating from a poultry population in North Romania. A detailed phenotypic characterization was performed and compared to the T6SS negative C. jejuni 81-176 wild strain. Results: Our results indicate that the significantly higher capacity to attach and invade HCT-8 cells of C. jejuni SV12 isolate is associated with increased motility, increased resistance to bile salts and serum resistance, when compared to C. jejuni strain 81-76. Mice infected with the SV12 isolate showed statistically higher levels of colonization at both 7- and 14-days post-inoculation and in the stomach, caecum, duodenum and large intestine. Infection with the SV12 strain induced a stronger immune response as the gene transcript levels of IL-17, TNFα and IFNγ were more pronouncedly up-regulated compared to the C. jejuni strain 81-176. The present study showed that the new isolate SV12 had an enhanced virulence capacity compared to the wild strain which was evident in vivo as well. This work also provides an insight on the colonization pattern and host immune response differences between T6SS positive and T6SS negative C. jejuni

Cj1411c Encodes for a Cytochrome P450 Involved in Campylobacter jejuni 81-176 Pathogenicity

Cytochrome P450s are b-heme-containing enzymes that are able to introduce oxygen atoms into a wide variety of organic substrates. They are extremely widespread in nature having diverse functions at both biochemical and physiological level. The genome of C. jejuni 81-176 encodes a single cytochrome P450 (Cj1411c) that has no close homologues. Cj1411c is unusual in its genomic location within a cluster involved in the biosynthesis of outer surface structures. Here we show that E. coli expressed and affinity-purified C. jejuni cytochrome P450 is lipophilic, containing one equivalent Cys-ligated heme. Immunoblotting confirmed the association of cytochrome P450 with membrane fractions. A Cj1411c deletion mutant had significantly reduced ability to infect human cells and was less able to survive following exposure to human serum when compared to the wild type strain. Phenotypically following staining with Alcian blue, we show that a Cj1411c deletion mutant produces significantly less capsular polysaccharide. This study describes the first known membrane-bound bacterial cytochrome P450 and its involvement in Campylobacter virulence

Selection and characterization of the probiotic potential of some lactic acid bacteria isolated from infant feces

Abstrac