Characterization of MgtC,a Virulence Factor of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi |
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| Authors: | Patricio Retamal Mario Castillo-Ruiz Guido C Mora |
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| Institution: | 1. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.; 2. Programa de Doctorado Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.;University of Minnesota, United States of America |
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| Abstract: | The MgtC is a virulence factor in Salmonella Typhimurium that is required for growth at low-Mg2+ concentrations and intramacrophage survival. This gene is codified in a conserved region of the Salmonella pathogenicity island 3 (SPI-3), and is also present in the chromosome of other Salmonella serovars. In this study we characterized the MgtC factor in S. Typhi, a human specific pathogen, by using mgtC and SPI-3 mutant strains. We found that MgtC is the most important factor codified in the SPI-3 of S. Typhi for growth in low-Mg2+ media and survival within human cells. In addition, by using reporter genes we determined that the low-Mg2+ concentration, acidic media and PhoP regulator induce mgtC expression in S. Typhi. We suggest that MgtC is the most important virulence factor codified in the SPI-3 of S. Typhi. |
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