engleski

ggt plays an important role in intracellular survival of Franicisella tularensis in Acanthamoeba castellanii

Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium that can cause a fatal disease, tularemia, in human and animals. This organism has been isolated from over 250 wildlife species, including fish, birds, amphibians, rabbits, squirrels, hares, voles, ticks, and flies. It resists harsh environments, and has been shown to survive in water and mud for more than a year. The natural reservoirs in water are protozoa including many species of amoeba. Previous results have shown survival and growth of F. tularensis LVS strain in A. castellanii. There is no evidence about the role of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (ggt) in intracellular survival and replication of F. tularensis LVS inside A. castellanii. Our results show that F. tularensis LVS replicates in A. castellanii cells with the peak of infection at 48 hours. To our surprise the ggt mutant showed no growth defect in A. castellanii. This data are in contrast to previous finding in mammalian cells where this gene is crucial for intracellular replication of F. tularensis LVS in macrophages cells. Our results pointed the difference between two different environmental niches for F. tularensis survival and pathogenicity.

Francisella tularensis; Acanthamoeba castellanii; ggt mutant; intracellular survival.

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