Significance of tagl and mfd genes in the virulence of non-typeable Haemophilus infl uenzae

• Denis A. Spricig ^[1] ; Pilar Cortés ^[1] ; David Moranta ^[2] ; Jordi Barbé ^[1] ; José Antonio Bengoechea; Network Biomedical Research. Respiratory Diseases and Health Research Foundation Balearic Island, Joan March Hospital, Bunyola, Spain; Centre for Infection and Immunity, Queens University Belfast. Belfast, UK ; Montserrat Llagostera ^[1]
  1. [1] Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

     Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

     Barcelona, España

     
  2. [2] Network Biomedical Research. Respiratory Diseases and Health Research Foundation Balearic Island, Joan March Hospital, Bunyola
• Localización: International microbiology: official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology, ISSN 1139-6709, Vol. 17, Nº. 3, 2014, págs. 159-164
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Non-typeable Haemophilus infl uenzae (NTHi) is an opportunist pathogen well adapted to the human upper respiratory tract and responsible for many respiratory diseases. In the human airway, NTHi is exposed to pollutants, such as alkylating agents, that damage its DNA. In this study, we examined the signifi cance of genes involved in the repair of DNA alkylation damage in NTHi virulence. Two knockout mutants, tagI and mfd, encoding N3methyladenine-DNA glycosylase I and the key protein involved in transcription-coupled repair, respectively, were constructed and their virulence in a BALB/c mice model was examined. This work shows that N3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase I is constitutively expressed in NTHi and that it is relevant for its virulence. [Int Microbiol 2014; 17(3):159-164]Keywords: Haemophilus infl uenzae · alkylating agents · virulence · genes tagI and mfd