Skip to main content
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1982 Mar;35(3):852–860. doi: 10.1128/iai.35.3.852-860.1982

Involvement of a plasmid in the invasive ability of Shigella flexneri.

P J Sansonetti, D J Kopecko, S B Formal
PMCID: PMC351125  PMID: 6279518

Abstract

Representative Shigella flexneri strains were studied to determine whether plasmids are involved in their virulence. All invasive S. flexneri strains, irrespective of serotype, were found to harbor a large plasmid of approximately 140 megadaltons in size, although some strains carried additional plasmid species. Spontaneous variants of strains of serotypes 1, 2, and 5 had lost this 140-megadalton plasmid and had concomitantly become avirulent, i.e., could neither invade HeLa cell monolayers nor produced keratoconjunctivitis in guinea pigs. To monitor plasmid transfer, the 140-megadalton plasmid of strain M90T (serotype 5) was tagged with the kanamycin resistance transposon Tn5. This tagged plasmid, pWR110, was not self-transmissible, but was mobilized by one of several different conjugative plasmids into avirulent derivatives of the heterologous serotypes 1 and 2 which had lost the comparable large plasmid. Transconjugants of both serotypes which had received pWR110 regained virulence. These data directly demonstrate that this large S. flexneri plasmid encodes or regulates some function(s) required for epithelial cell penetration.

Full text

PDF
852

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Elwell L. P., Shipley P. L. Plasmid-mediated factors associated with virulence of bacteria to animals. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1980;34:465–496. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.34.100180.002341. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. FORMAL S. B., LABREC E. H., KENT T. H., FALKOW S. ABORTIVE INTESTINAL INFECTION WITH AN ESCHERICHIA COLI-SHIGELLA FLEXNERI HYBRID STRAIN. J Bacteriol. 1965 May;89:1374–1382. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.5.1374-1382.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Formal S. B., Gemski P., Baron L. S., Labrec E. H. A Chromosomal Locus Which Controls the Ability of Shigella flexneri to Evoke Keratoconjunctivitis. Infect Immun. 1971 Jan;3(1):73–79. doi: 10.1128/iai.3.1.73-79.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gemski P., Jr, Sheahan D. G., Washington O., Formal S. B. Virulence of Shigella flexneri hybrids expressing Escherichia coli somatic antigens. Infect Immun. 1972 Aug;6(2):104–111. doi: 10.1128/iai.6.2.104-111.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gemski P., Lazere J. R., Casey T. Plasmid associated with pathogenicity and calcium dependency of Yersinia enterocolitica. Infect Immun. 1980 Feb;27(2):682–685. doi: 10.1128/iai.27.2.682-685.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gemski P., Lazere J. R., Casey T., Wohlhieter J. A. Presence of a virulence-associated plasmid in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Infect Immun. 1980 Jun;28(3):1044–1047. doi: 10.1128/iai.28.3.1044-1047.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hale T. L., Formal S. B. Protein synthesis in HeLa or Henle 407 cells infected with Shigella dysenteriae 1, Shigella flexneri 2a, or Salmonella typhimurium W118. Infect Immun. 1981 Apr;32(1):137–144. doi: 10.1128/iai.32.1.137-144.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kopecko D. J., Holcombe J., Formal S. B. Molecular characterization of plasmids from virulent and spontaneously occurring avirulent colonial variants of Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1979 May;24(2):580–582. doi: 10.1128/iai.24.2.580-582.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kopecko D. J., Washington O., Formal S. B. Genetic and physical evidence for plasmid control of Shigella sonnei form I cell surface antigen. Infect Immun. 1980 Jul;29(1):207–214. doi: 10.1128/iai.29.1.207-214.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Labrec E. H., Schneider H., Magnani T. J., Formal S. B. EPITHELIAL CELL PENETRATION AS AN ESSENTIAL STEP IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF BACILLARY DYSENTERY. J Bacteriol. 1964 Nov;88(5):1503–1518. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.5.1503-1518.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Sansonetti P. J., Kopecko D. J., Formal S. B. Shigella sonnei plasmids: evidence that a large plasmid is necessary for virulence. Infect Immun. 1981 Oct;34(1):75–83. doi: 10.1128/iai.34.1.75-83.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Sansonetti P., David M., Toucas M. Corrélation entre la perte d'ADN plasmidique et le passage de la phase I virulente à la phase II avirulente chez Shigella sonnei. C R Seances Acad Sci D. 1980 Mar 31;290(13):879–882. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Williams P. H., Warner P. J. ColV plasmid-mediated, colicin V-independent iron uptake system of invasive strains of Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1980 Aug;29(2):411–416. doi: 10.1128/iai.29.2.411-416.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Zink D. L., Feeley J. C., Wells J. G., Vanderzant C., Vickery J. C., Roof W. D., O'Donovan G. A. Plasmid-mediated tissue invasiveness in Yersinia enterocolitica. Nature. 1980 Jan 10;283(5743):224–226. doi: 10.1038/283224a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES