Resumen de Significance of tagl and mfd genes in the virulence of non-typeable Haemophilus infl uenzae
Denis A. Spricig, Pilar Cortés Garmendia, David Moranta Mesquida, Jordi Barbé García, José Antonio Bengoechea, Montserrat Llagostera Casas
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
