Cytochrome c maturation proteins are critical for in vivo growth of Legionella pneumophila

Jennifer Naylor, Nicholas P. Cianciotto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

Legionella pneumophila, an intracellular parasite of macrophages and protozoa, requires iron for extra- and intracellular growth. In a new screen of a mutant library of L. pneumophila for strains defective for growth on agar media lacking supplemental iron, seven mutants were obtained. All of the mutants had a disruption in the cytochrome c maturation (ccm) locus; two had insertions in ccmB, two in ccmC, and three in ccmF. The ccm mutants were unable to multiply within macrophage-like cells (i.e., U937 and THP-1 cells) and Hartmannella vermiformis amoebae. A competition assay in A/J mice revealed that ccm mutants are severely defective for growth within the lung. Taken together, these data confirm that ccm and cytochrome c maturation proteins are required for L. pneumophila growth in low iron, intracellular infection, and virulence.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)249-256
Number of pages8
JournalFEMS Microbiology Letters
Volume241
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 15 2004

Funding

We thank Shawn Starkenburg and Ombeline Rossier for technical assistance. Jennifer Naylor was supported in part by a Philip Morris Postdoctoral Fellowship. This work was funded by NIH Grant AI34937 awarded to N.P.C.

Keywords

  • Cytochrome c maturation
  • Hartmannella vermiformis
  • Iron acquisition
  • Legionella pneumophila
  • Legionnaires' disease
  • Macrophage

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Microbiology

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