Sheep Infection Trials with ‘Phase-Locked’ Vpma Expression Variants of Mycoplasma agalactiae—Towards Elucidating the Role of a Multigene Family Encoding Variable Surface Lipoproteins in Infection and Disease

Chopra-Dewasthaly, Rohini, Dagn, Andreas, Lohinger, Christian, Brunthaler, René, Flöck, Martina, Kargl, Munkhtsetseg, Hegde, Shree ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6673-7780, Spergser, Joachim and Rosengarten, Renate (2022) 'Sheep Infection Trials with ‘Phase-Locked’ Vpma Expression Variants of Mycoplasma agalactiae—Towards Elucidating the Role of a Multigene Family Encoding Variable Surface Lipoproteins in Infection and Disease'. Microorganisms, Vol 10, Issue 4, e815.

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Abstract

The significance of large multigene families causing high-frequency surface variations in mycoplasmas is not well-understood. Previously, VpmaY and VpmaU clonal variants of the Vpma family of lipoproteins of M. agalactiae were compared via experimental sheep infections using the two corresponding ‘Phase-Locked Mutants’. However, nothing is known about the infectivity of the remaining four Vpma expression variants VpmaX, VpmaW, VpmaZ and VpmaV as they were never evaluated in vivo. Here, in vivo infection and disease progression of all six Vpma expressers constituting the Vpma family of type strain PG2 were compared using the corresponding xer1-disrupted PLMs expressing single well-characterized Vpmas. Each of the six PLMs were separately evaluated using the intramammary sheep infection model along with the control phase-variable wildtype strain PG2. Thorough bacteriological, pathological and clinical examinations were performed, including assessment of milk quality, quantity and somatic cell counts. Altogether, the results indicated that the inability to vary the Vpma expression phase does not hamper the initiation of infection leading to mastitis for all six PLMs, except for PLMU, which showed a defect in host colonization and multiplication for the first 24 h p.i. and pathological/bacteriological analysis indicated a higher potential for systemic spread for PLMV and PLMX. This is the first study in which all isogenic expression variants of a large mycoplasma multigene family are tested in the natural host.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	NOT_LSTM
Subjects:	QU Biochemistry > Genetics > QU 450 General Works QW Microbiology and Immunology > QW 4 General works. Classify here works on microbiology as a whole. QW Microbiology and Immunology > QW 51 Morphology and variability of microorganisms. Microbial genetics.
Faculty: Department:	Biological Sciences > Department of Tropical Disease Biology
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10040815
Depositing User:	Lynn Roberts-Maloney
Date Deposited:	01 Aug 2024 08:41
Last Modified:	01 Aug 2024 08:49
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/25039

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