Differential expression of Afa/Dr fimbriae in multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli ST131 clones

Multiantibiotic-resistant urologic pathogenicity

Escherichia coli(UPEC) strains belong to clones determined by multi-locus sequence type (ST), of which ST131 is the predominant

E.

Escherichia coli(UPEC) is the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and a common cause of life-threatening sepsis (1) Most UPEC strains belong to global clones that can be differentiated according to their multilocus sequence type (ST), including ST69, ST73, ST95 and ST131 (2–4).

7,10–12), the exact molecular mechanism leading to the predominance of ST131 in other UPEC clones remains unclear

14,25–28) However, recent studies have revealed that pellicle patterns are the result of soft pili structures collapsing onto the bacterial surface, demonstrating that they are indeed assembled as pili organelles (29,30) Afa/Dr pili are closely related at the DNA level, have a similar genetic organization, and have been described by a range of gene nomenclature, includingdra company,Dispute Review Committee,nfa company,polymerization,hda company,andafa company(used here)(31,32) Afa/Dr pili are encoded by gene clusters consisting of two distinct transcriptional units, one major transcriptional unit containing genes encoding regulators (e.

in vivoStudies have demonstrated the role of Afa/Dr adhesin in UPEC virulence
.
thisDreandafaE IIIAllele is one of the most widely studied genes and is associated with chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis (42) mortality in pregnant rats (43) In this study, we examinedafa/dr companymost common geneE.
Escherichia coliThe high prevalence of ST131 was confirmed
.
check carefullyafa/dr companyThe gene complexity of ST131 suggests that regulatory regions are hotspots for the integration of is elements, and we demonstrate that is1The insertion resulted in increased Afa pili expression, highlighting the ability of the IS element to drive altered virulence at the strain level
.
Finally, we extend these findings by plotting IS integration1within the ST131 pan-genome, thereby revealing how the widespread presence of this mobile genetic element influenced the evolution of the ST131 genome
.