In silico identification of potential virulence genes in 1,3-propanediol producer Klebsiella pneumonia.

The pathogenic characteristics of Klebsiella pneumoniae could pose security risks for industrial applications. In this study, the existence and distribution of 2457 known virulence genes (VFs) in 9 strains of K. pneumoniae were systematically analyzed by high-throughput in silico methods. We found different numbers and types of VFs in 9 K. pneumoniae strains using database sequences. Some VFs in the database were highly homologous with the corresponding genes in K. pneumoniae genomes. Four large fragments with contiguous potential virulence genes named VF1, VF2, VF3 and VF4 were identified. VF1 and VF2 were found in all 9 sequenced strains and the 1,3-propanediol-producing strain KG1. When the VF2 fragment was knocked out in KG1, cell growth and 1,3-propanediol production in the mutant were nearly the same as in KG1. Consequently the resulting information by in silico methods is useful for identifying potential virulence genes of K. pneumoniae used for 1,3-propanediol production.