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TheEscherichia fergusonii iucABCD iutA genes are located within a larger chromosomal region similar to pathogenicity islands

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Abstract

Three strains ofEscherichia fergusonii (EF873, EF1496, EF939) of 50 strains tested produced the hydroxamate siderophore aerobactin. Screening of a cosmid library of the strain EF873 chromosomal DNA (in aerobactin nonproducingEscherichia coli VCS257) for aerobactin production identifiediucABCD andiutA gene orthologues. The predicted IucABCD and IutA proteins showed 59–65% identity to the corresponding proteins ofShigella flexneri andE. coli. Aerobactin molecules synthesized byE. fergusonii andE. coli strains stimulated growth of aerobactin indicator strains harboring eitherE. coli orE. fergusonii iutA genes. In the 12 kb upstream and 17 kb downstream regions of theiuc andiut genes, 20 additional ORFs were identified. Their gene products showed homology to proteins fromE. coli, S. flexneri, Klebsiella aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa andVibrio cholerae. Probes recognizing DNA sequences from a region of more than 25 kb, which included theiucABCD andiutA genes, hybridized with chromosomal DNA of two aerobactin-producing strains (EF873 and EF939), but not with other nonproducingE. fergusonii strains tested. These data, together with the genetic organization of this region, suggest thatE. fergusonii iucABCD iutA genes are a portion of a larger segment of DNA similar to pathogenicity islands of other bacteria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Houston Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA

    D. Šmajs & G. M. Weinstock

  2. Center for the Study of Emerging and Re-emerging Pathogens, Houston Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA

    D. Šmajs & G. M. Weinstock

  3. Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia

    D. Šmajs & J. Šmarda

  4. Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA

    G. M. Weinstock

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  1. D. Šmajs
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  2. J. Šmarda
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  3. G. M. Weinstock
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This work was supported by grants from theUS Public Health Service (R01 DE1 2488 and R01 DE1 3759) to the third author, and by the grant of theGrant Agency of the Czech Republic (no. 310/01/0013).

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Šmajs, D., Šmarda, J. & Weinstock, G.M. TheEscherichia fergusonii iucABCD iutA genes are located within a larger chromosomal region similar to pathogenicity islands. Folia Microbiol 48, 139–147 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02930946

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02930946

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