Deletion of AS87_03730 gene changed the bacterial virulence and gene expression of Riemerella anatipestifer.

Riemerella anatipestifer is an important pathogen of waterfowl, which causes septicemia anserum exsudativa in ducks. In this study, an AS87_03730 gene deletion R. anatipestifer mutant Yb2ΔAS87_03730 was constructed to investigate the role of AS87_03730 on R. anatipestifer virulence and gene regulation. By deleting a 708-bp fragment from AS87_03730, the mutant Yb2ΔAS87_03730 showed a significant decreased growth rate in TSB and invasion capacity in Vero cells, compared to wild-type strain Yb2. Moreover, the median lethal dose (LD50) of Yb2ΔAS87_03730 was 1.24 × 10(7) colony forming units (CFU), which is about 80-fold attenuated than that of Yb2 (LD50 = 1.53 × 10(5) CFU). Furthermore, RNA-Seq analysis and Real-time PCR indicated 19 up-regulated and two down-regulated genes in Yb2ΔAS87_03730. Functional analysis revealed that 12 up-regulated genes were related to "Translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis", two were classified into "Cell envelope biogenesis, outer membrane", one was involved in "Amino acid transport and metabolism", and the other four had unknown functions. Polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis indicated that the AS87_03730 gene is highly conserved among R. anatipestifer strains, as the percent sequence identity was over 93.5%. This study presents evidence that AS87_03730 gene is involved in bacterial virulence and gene regulation of R. anatipestifer.

Development of colloidal gold immunochromatographic strips for detection of Riemerella anatipestifer.

Riemerella anatipestifer is one of the most important bacterial pathogen of ducks and causes a contagious septicemia. R. anatipestifer infection causes serositis syndromes similar to other bacterial infections in ducks, including infection by Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica and Pasteurella multocida. Clinically differentiating R. anatipestifer infections from other bacterial pathogen infections is usually difficult. In this study, MAb 1G2F10, a monoclonal antibody against R. anatipestifer GroEL, was used to develop a colloidal gold immunochromatographic strip. Colloidal gold particles were prepared by chemical synthesis to an average diameter of 20 ± 5.26 nm by transmission electron microscope imaging. MAb 1G2F10 was conjugated to colloidal gold particles and the formation of antibody-colloidal gold conjugates was monitored by UV/Vis spectroscopy. Immunochromatographic strips were assembled in regular sequence through different accessories sticked on PVC plate. Strips specifically detected R. anatipestifer within 10 min, but did not detect E. coli, S. enterica and P. multocida. The detection limit for R. anatipestifer was 1 × 10(6) colony forming units, which was 500 times higher than a conventional agglutination test. Accuracy was 100% match to multiplex PCR. Assay stability and reproducibility were excellent after storage at 4°C for 6 months. The immunochromatographic strips prepared in this study offer a specific, sensitive, and rapid detection method for R. anatipestifer, which is of great importance for the prevention and control of R. anatipestifer infections.

Complete Genome Sequence of Riemerella anatipestifer Serotype 1 Strain CH3.

Riemerella anatipestifer is a well-described pathogenic bacterium, which is reported worldwide as the cause of epizootic infectious polyserositis of waterfowl and other avian species. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of R. anatipestifer strain CH3, the serotype 1 prevalent in China.

The AS87_04050 gene is involved in bacterial lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and pathogenicity of Riemerella anatipestifer.

Riemerella anatipestifer is reported worldwide as a cause of septicemic and exudative diseases of domestic ducks. In this study, we identified a mutant strain RA2640 by Tn4351 transposon mutagenesis, in which the AS87_04050 gene was inactivated by insertion of the transposon. Southern blot analysis indicated that only one insertion was found in the genome of the mutant strain RA2640. SDS-PAGE followed by silver staining showed that the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pattern of mutant strain RA2640 was different from its wild-type strain Yb2, suggesting the LPS was defected. In addition, the phenotype of the mutant strain RA2640 was changed to rough-type, evident by altered colony morphology, autoaggregation ability and crystal violet staining characteristics. Bacterial LPS is a key factor in virulence as well as in both innate and acquired host responses to infection. The rough-type mutant strain RA2640 showed higher sensitivity to antibiotics, disinfectants and normal duck serum, and higher capability of adherence and invasion to Vero cells, compared to its wild-type strain Yb2. Moreover, the mutant strain RA2640 lost the agglutination ability of its wild-type strain Yb2 to R. anatipestifer serotype 2 positive sera, suggesting that the O-antigen is defected. Animal experiments indicated that the virulence of the mutant strain RA2640 was attenuated by more than 100,000-fold, compared to its wild-type strain Yb2. These results suggested that the AS87_04050 gene in R. anatipestifer is associated with the LPS biosynthesis and bacterial pathogenicity.

Molecular cloning of the duck mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) gene and the development of a quantitative real-time PCR assay to detect its expression.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) acts as an integration point for multiple biochemical signals, and is involved in a wide variety of biological processes such as cell proliferation and differentiation, transcription regulation, and development. Mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 plays an important role in inducing cell death in bacterial infections. In this study, the duck MAPK1 gene was cloned for the first time from the Cherry Valley duck. Sequence analysis showed that duck MAPK1 cDNA is 1,557 bp long, with an open reading frame of 1,107 bp. It encodes 368 amino acids, with 85.4, 84.5, and 97.3% homology with the human, mouse, and chicken MAPK1 gene, respectively. Furthermore, a SYBR Green quantitative real-time PCR assay was developed to detect duck MAPK1 expression. Following Riemerella anatipestifer infection by virulent strain Yb2, MAPK1 mRNA level increased more than 200-fold in the duck spleens, suggesting that increased duck MAPK1 expression can be used as an indicator of bacterial infection. Our results provide ground work to warrant further studies of the duck MAPK1 gene in bacterial pathogenesis.