TABLE 6.
Flagellin-specifying genes identified in E. coli strains
| Flagellin gene
|
Approximate map position | Allele | Relationship to phase-specific repressora
|
Combination of two flagellin genes in some wild strainsb | Reason for latent state of fliCc | Flagellar antigend expressed (latent) | Straine | Refer- ence(s)f | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former name | New name | Sensitivity to repressor | Phase-specific repressor activity | |||||||
| hag, hagA, or hagC | fliC | 43 | fliC2 | Sensitive | fliC2off, flk3on | PSR | H3 (H2) | 1-391 | 21 | |
| fliC6 | Insensitive | Not reported | H6 (?) | B-99 | 20 | |||||
| fliC16 | Sensitive | fliC16off, flk3on | PSR | H3 (H16) | Bi7327-41 | 20, 23 | ||||
| fliC21 | Sensitive | fliC21off, flk47on | PSR | H47 (H21) | 1755-58 | 1, 21, 23 | ||||
| fliC38 | Insensitive | fliC38off, fll55on | Unknown | H55 (H38) | E2987-73 | A | ||||
| fliC48 | Insensitive | An only gene | H48 (None) | E. coli K-12 | 6, 20, 23 | |||||
| fliC4 or fliC′4 | Insensitive | fliC4off, fll44on | Unknown | H44 (H4) | 781-55 | A | ||||
| fliC"17 | Insensitive | fliC′4off, fliC"17on | Unknown | H17 (H4) | P12b | 22 | ||||
| hagB | flkA | Linked to argG6 (position 69) | flkA3 | + | fliC16off, flkA3on | PSR | H3 (H16) | Bi7327-41 | 20, 23 | |
| flkA36 | − | An only gene | H36 (none) | 5017-53 | 23 | |||||
| flkA47 | + | fliC21off, flkA47on | PSR | H47 (H21) | 1755-58 | 23 | ||||
| flkA53 | + | An only gene | H53 (none) | 5017-53 | 23 | |||||
| Not known before | fllA | Linked to pheA (position 57) | fllA44 | − | fliC4off, fll44on | Unknown | H44 (H4) | 781-55 | A | |
| fllA55 | − | fliC38off, fll55on | Unknown | H55 (H38) | E2987-73 | A | ||||
| Not known before | flmA | Linked to mtlA2 (position 81) | flmA54 | + | An only gene | H54 (none) | E223-69 | A | ||
+, presence of phase-specific repressor activity (suppressing sensitive alleles of fliC) owing to coexpression of a flagellin gene and a putative repressor gene similar to salmonella gene fljA; −, no phase-specific repressor activity.
An only gene, no other intact flagellin gene found; off, latent state; on, expressed state of a flagellin-specifying gene.
PSR, phase-specific repressor activity.
None, absence of a latent flagellar antigen, confirmed by genetic data; ?, very rare alteration of the flagellar antigen was sometimes observed, but its genetic background is unknown.
The strains listed, with the exception of 1-391, B-99, and E. coli K-12, are all standard H test strains from the collection of the International Escherichia and Klebsiella Centre of the World Health Organization. Some other wild E. coli strains possessing the flkA3 (hagB3) gene or the phase-specific repressor-sensitive fliC2 gene as the only flagellin-specifying locus have been reported (15, 21).
A, this work.