Aeromonas hydrophila flagella glycosylation: involvement of a lipid carrier.

Polar flagellin proteins from Aeromonas hydrophila strain AH-3 (serotype O34) were found to be O-glycosylated with a heterogeneous glycan. Mutants unable to produce WecP or Gne enzymes showed altered motility, and the study of their polar flagellin glycosylation showed that the patterns of glycosylation differed from that observed with wild type polar flagellin. This suggested the involvement of a lipid carrier in glycosylation. A gene coding for an enzyme linking sugar to a lipid carrier was identified in strain AH-3 (WecX) and subsequent mutation abolished completely motility, flagella production by EM, and flagellin glycosylation. This is the first report of a lipid carrier involved in flagella O-glycosylation. A molecular model has been proposed. The results obtained suggested that the N-acetylhexosamines are N-acetylgalactosamines and that the heptasaccharide is completely independent of the O34-antigen lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, by comparing the mutants with differing degrees of polar flagellin glycosylation, we established their importance in A. hydrophila flagella formation and motility.

Introduction

Mesophilic pan class="Species">Aeromonas are ubiquitous n>an class="Chemical">water-borne bacteria, considered opportunistic pathogens of both aquatic and terrestrial animals, some species being associated with gastrointestinal and extraintestinal human diseases [1]. These bacteria constitutively express a single polar flagellum, although about 60% of strains most commonly associated with diarrhoea [2] are also able to express many lateral flagella when grown in viscous environments or on surfaces [3]. Investigations have revealed that both the polar and lateral flagella systems of the mesophilic Aeromonas are involved in adherence to both biotic and abiotic surfaces, as well as in biofilm formation [4]. Flagella motility in Aeromonas, like in other motile bacteria, represents an important advantage in moving towards favourable conditions or in avoiding detrimental environments and it allows the bacterium to successfully compete with other microorganisms [5]. A. hydrophila flagella morphogenesis, as happens in other motile Gram-negative bacteria, is a complex cascade of events that requires coordinated expression of more than 50 genes encoding structural subunits, regulatory proteins and chemo-sensor machinery.

pan class="Chemical">Glycosylation, either N or O linked, is increasingly being observed in bacteria reviewed in [6]–[8], with the most commonly reported bacterial glycoproteins being flagellins and pili. Campylobacter jejuni is a bacterium with a well-characterized N-glycosylation general pathway with a heptasaccharide built through a lipid carrier undecaprenyl phosphate (Und-P) [7]. In addition to this general protein glycosylation pathway C. jejuni also shows O-linked glycans modifying their flagellins, however with more simple glycans never built through Und-P [7]. A similar situation is observed in Helicobacter pylori [7].

Frequently, the linkage of the pan class="Chemical">glycan to the proteins is an O-linkage of the n>an class="Chemical">sugar moiety to the hydroxyl oxygen of serine (Ser) or threonine (Thr) residues of proteins [6]. This is usually catalysed through glycosyltransferases and the need for a lipid carrier for O-glycosylation of proteins is rare. We recently demonstrated that polar and lateral flagellin proteins from Aeromonas hydrophila strain AH-3 (serotype O34) are glycosylated with different carbohydrate moieties [9]. The lateral flagellin is modified at three sites in O-linkage, with a single monosaccharide shown to be a pseudaminic acid derivative of 376 Da. The polar flagellin is modified with a heterogenous glycan, comprised of a heptasaccharide of, the 376 Da pseudaminic acid type sugar, two hexoses, three N-acetylhexosamines, and an unknown glycan of 102 Da. This glycan chain is linked through the 376 Da sugar to the protein backbone, also in O-linkage. Furthermore, deletion of several genes within the putative pseudaminic acid biosynthetic locus, resulted in abolition of polar and lateral flagella formation by posttranscriptional regulation of the flagellins. In our prior work we were not able to determine the mechanism by which the heptasaccharide chain was formed, or the biological role of flagellin glycosylation. No flagellin until now has been shown to be modified by a glycan built up through Und-P, or showing a complicated glycan structure like the one described previously on A. hydrophila AH-3 [9]. The involvement of a lipid carrier in bacterial protein glycosylation has been only described in fimbriae glycosylation from Neisseria and Pseudomonas [10]–[12].

Surface bacterial polysaccharides, such as pan class="Chemical">O-antigen lipopolysaccharides, capsules or cell wall peptidoglycans, are synthesised in the cytoplasm and subsequently translocated to their location on the bacterial surface. Despite the heterogeneity in the different surface carbohydrates, biosynthesis is commonly initiated with an integral membrane protein that catalyzes the transfer of glucose (Glc)/galactose (Gal)-1-phosphate (WbaP) or N- acetylhexosamine (GlcNAc or GalNAc)-1-phosphate (WecA or WecP, respectively) onto the Und-P [13], [14]. These enzymes have multiple transmembrane helices, and the cytosolic loops contribute to form a catalytic site [15]. The predicted topology of these enzymes is variable and linked to their substrate specificity in different cases, like WbaP, WecA or WecP [16]–[18].

In the current study we demonstrated that a pan class="Chemical">lipid carrier is involved in the pan class="Chemical">heptasaccharide O-glycosylation of polar flagellins in strain AH-3. We showed that the HexNAc from the polar flagellin glycan is N-acetyl galactosamine (GalNAc) or a derivative of it. In addition we begin to shed light on the biological role of flagellin glycosylation with data linking flagellin glycosylation to motility.

Results

Our previous work has shown A. hydrophila pan class="Chemical">AH-3 flagellins to be post-translationally modified with glycan moieties [9]. The lateral flagellin was observed to be glycosylated with a unique 376 Da sugar residue, a putative pseudaminic acid derivative. In contrast, the polar flagellin was modified with a heptasaccharide glycan, comprised of three N-acetylhexosamines additionally modified by variable numbers of phosphate groups and methyl groups, two hexoses and two unknown glycans of 376 Da (putative pseudaminic acid derivative) and 102 Da. This gave a monosaccharide mass sequence of 376-162-162-203-296-376-102 Da.

The aim of the current study is to understand the mechanisms of the differential glycosylation of polar and lateral flagellins using two previously isolated motility deficient mutants from this strain: a wecP mutant (AH-3ΔWecP) and a gne mutant (AH-2767). WecP is the enzyme codified by a gene in the O34-antigen LPS cluster linking UDP-GalNAc to the Und-P [6], while Gne is the enzyme able to 4-epimerize UDP-GlcNAc to UDP-GalNAc [19] codified outside the O34-antigen LPS cluster by a gene alone between non related genes codifying for a ferredoxin oxidoreductase and a protein-disulfide isomerase. We have previously shown that both mutants are devoid of the O34-antigen LPS [18], [19].

A. hydrophila AH-3 wecP Mutant (AH-3ΔWecP)

This mutant is able to produce both polar and lateral flagella. No differences were obpan class="Chemical">served between the wild typn>e strain and the n>an class="Chemical">AH-3ΔWecP mutant in lateral flagella production grown on solid or semisolid media when examined by EM. However, the AH-3ΔWecP mutant showed a reduction in motility compared to the wild type strain when assayed on swim agar plates (Figure 1). This motility reduction was confirmed by light microscopy observations in liquid media. This fact prompted us to purify the polar flagellum and compare it to the wild type. A reduction in the molecular weight of AH-3ΔWecP polar flagellins, was observed by SDS-PAGE, as shown in Figure 2A. The amount of polar flagellin obtained from 1l culture of the mutant versus the same amount of wild type growth is reduced in approximately 50% judged by protein concentration analysis.

Figure 1

Motility phkenotypes exhibited in swim (0.25%) agar by A. hydrophila AH-3 (A), AH-2767 gne mutant (B), AH-3ΔWecP mutant (C), AH-2767+ pACYC-Gne (D), and AH-3ΔWecP pBAD-WecP (E).

Figure 2

Purified polar flagellins from several A. hydrophila strains obtained according to Materials and Methods.

A/SDS-PAGE and B/Western blot using specific antiserum against purified polar flagellins. St, size standard (14, 20, 30, 45, 60, and 94 kDa). 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila AH-3ΔWecP mutant and 3, A. hydrophila AH-3ΔWecP complemented with plasmid pBAD33-WecPAh (18). Figure 2A lane 2 shows a clear reduction in the AH-3ΔWecP mutant polar flagellin MW. In Figure 2B the AH-3ΔWecP mutant polar flagellin shows several minor bands with reduced MW (lane 2) not observed neither in lane 1 (wild type) or lane 3 (complemented mutant).

A/pan class="Chemical">SDS-PAGE and B/Western blot using specific antiserum against purified polar flagellins. St, size standard (14, 20, 30, 45, 60, and 94 kDa). 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila AH-3ΔWecP mutant and 3, A. hydrophila AH-3ΔWecP complemented with plasmid pBAD33-WecPAh (18). Figure 2A lane 2 shows a clear reduction in the AH-3ΔWecP mutant polar flagellin MW. In Figure 2B the AH-3ΔWecP mutant polar flagellin shows several minor bands with reduced MW (lane 2) not observed neither in lane 1 (wild type) or lane 3 (complemented mutant).

A full recovery of all the reduced characteristics obpan class="Chemical">served in the pan class="Chemical">AH-3ΔWecP mutant versus the wild type (motility or molecular weight reduction and variation of polar flagellins) were achieved when we introduced pBAD33-WecPAh plasmid [18] (Figure 1 and 2). No changes were observed when we introduced the plasmid vector alone in the same mutant.

Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Polar Flagellin from an A. hydrophila AH-3 WecP Mutant

pan class="Chemical">Protein mass analysis was carried out by using electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry on polar flagellins isolated from the pan class="Chemical">AH-3ΔWecP mutant. Although poor ionisation prevented spectral deconvolution, and the observed protein masses were not determined.

MS/MS analyses of tryptic pan class="Chemical">peptides from polar flagellins isolated from the n>an class="Chemical">AH-3ΔWecP mutant showed the same peptides to be modified with glycan as the wild type strain (Table 1), however differences in the glycan modification were observed. To highlight the observed differences in glycopeptide profiles observed between AH-3ΔWecP mutant and wild type, Figure 3 shows alignment of LC-MS spectra from tryptic digests of polar flagellin isolated from wild type (Figure 3a) and AH-3ΔWecP mutant (Figure 3b) at 13.1–13.8 minutes (elution time for the 94–109 TLAQQSANGSN NTDDR glycopeptide). In our previous study, we reported the glycopeptides to be observed in LC-MS spectra as clusters of multiple charged ions. These clusters of ions corresponded to the glycan heterogeneity. In Figure 3a, these clusters are denoted 1–4 and correspond to different amounts of phosphorylation or methylation of the sugars comprising the heptasaccharide chains. When comparing the LC-MS spectra of wild type and WecP mutant, it is notable that the relative abundance of the glycopeptide isoforms differs between the mutant and wild type strain. In particular, the most abundant form of the 94–109 TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR glycopeptide in the AH-3ΔWecP mutant is modified with single pseudaminic acid type modification (doubly charged ion observed at m/z 1034.4, indicated in Figure 3a and b with an arrow). The glycopeptides harbouring the variable heptasaccharide glycan modifications, denoted clusters 1–4, were observed in the LC-MS spectrum, at much lower intensity when compared with wild type glycopeptide clusters (Figure 3b). In particular, the prominent triply charged glycopeptides at m/z 1062.1, 1089.4, 1120.4, 1151.4 were observed in both wild type and AH-3ΔWecP mutant (in ion clusters 1–4). These ions correspond to the 94–109 TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR peptide modified with heptasaccharide glycan, plus 1, 2, 3, and 4 phosphate groups respectively and a variable numbers methyl groups. However, comparison shows the abundance of glycopeptides harbouring the longer chain glycans to be markedly reduced in the AH-3ΔWecP mutant. A list of ion intensities ratios (compared to wild type) for representative glycopeptides from each cluster for this peptide in the AH-3ΔWecP, are shown in Table 1. A similar pattern of glycosylation was observed with a second polar flagellin glycopeptide from FlaB, MTSAFTISGIASSTK (Table 1, and Mass spectrometry analyses of polar flagellin from A. hydrophila AH-3 gne mutant section), with the presence of full length sugar chains modifying the polar flagellin, but at much reduced levels compared with wild type flagellin modification.

Table 1

Comparison of polar flagellin peptide and glycopeptide ion intensities between wild type and mutants.

Peptide Sequence(Peptide mass, Da)	GlycopeptideCluster Region	GlycopeptideIon (m/z)	ChargeState	GlycanMass (Da)	Ion Intensity Ratio of mutantstrain/Wild Type (WT)
					WT	Gnea	ΔWecPa
FlaA/FlaB(1)
TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR (1690.8)	–	846.4	+2	0	1	7.47	0.74
	–	1034.4	+2	376	1	12.01	1.07
	1	1062.1	+3	1492	1	0.81	0.34
	2	1089.4	+3	1574	1	0.47*	0.34
	3	1120.4	+3	1667	1	0.35*	0.09
	4	1151.4	+3	1760	1	0.07*	0.03
FlaB(2)
MTSAFTISGIASSTK (1500.8)	–	751.5	+2	0	1	0.31	0.17
	–	939.4	+2	376	1	0.94	0.84
	1	998.7	+3	1492	1	0	0.69
	2	1026.1	+3	1574	1	0	0.18
	3	1057.1	+3	1667	1	0	0.06
	4	1088.1	+3	1760	1	0	0.02

Gne corresponds to AH-2767 gne mutant and ΔWecP to AH-3ΔWecP mutant.

The relative intensity ratios for two polar flagellin peptides are shown: the peptide TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR peptide sequence common to both FlaA and FlaB (1690 Da) (1), while the peptide MTSAFTISGIASSTK is present in FlaB only (1501 Da) (2). Unmodified forms of the peptides, peptides modified with the single 376 Da pseudaminic acid derivative, and representative glycopeptide ions from each ion cluster are listed. For each peptide/glycopeptide, the ion intensity expressed as a ratio relative to the ion intensity observed in wild type. Ion intensity ratios marked with an * are approximate ratios where overlapping ions in that m/z region made it impossible to measure ion intensity due to a single ion.

Figure 3

nLC-MS alignment of the AH-3 polar flagellin FlaA/FlaB glycopeptide.

The 1691 Da FlaA/FlaB peptide TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR (eluting between 13.1 and 13.8 minutes) was modified by a heptasaccharide glycan with HexNAc residues additionally variably modified by 0–2 phosphate and 0–2 methyl groups [9]. These additional variable modifications resulted in four major glycopeptide ion cluster regions, as indicated below each spectrum. The cluster number corresponds to the number of additional phosphate groups modifying the heptasaccharide, and peaks within that cluster possess a variable number of additional methyl groups. Only the most prominent peak within each cluster is annotated. a) Wild type polar flagellin. Glycoforms of the peptide modified with the heptasaccharide were more abundant, compared with the peptide modified with only a single 376 Da (this form of the glycopeptide is indicated in the Figure with an arrow at m/z 1034.4). The glycopeptide peak intensity increased with the addition of each phosphate group. b) AH-3ΔWecP mutant polar flagellin. In contrast to wild type, the predominant modification in AH-3ΔwecP was a single 376 Da sugar. The glycopeptide clusters resulting from the heptasaccharide glycan and additional variable modification were observed, but with decreased intensity as compared to the monosaccharide modification. c) AH-2767 (gne mutant) polar flagellin. A decrease in the complexity of glycan modification was observed. The most abundant modification observed was the single 376 Da glycan. Glycopetpide clusters were not observed in the same manner when compared to wild type and the longer chain modifying glycans were not observed. In addition, the unmodified peptide was also observed at m/z 846.42+. This was not detectable in wild type, Figure legend: solid pentagon = 376 Da sugar; • = hexose; ▪ = HexNAc; ▴ = 102 Da unknown moiety; • = phosphorylation; ▪ = methylation; * = truncated peptide.

The 1691 Da FlaA/FlaB peptide TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR (eluting between 13.1 and 13.8 minutes) was modified by a pan class="Chemical">heptasaccharide glycan with n>an class="Chemical">HexNAc residues additionally variably modified by 0–2 phosphate and 0–2 methyl groups [9]. These additional variable modifications resulted in four major glycopeptide ion cluster regions, as indicated below each spectrum. The cluster number corresponds to the number of additional phosphate groups modifying the heptasaccharide, and peaks within that cluster possess a variable number of additional methyl groups. Only the most prominent peak within each cluster is annotated. a) Wild type polar flagellin. Glycoforms of the peptide modified with the heptasaccharide were more abundant, compared with the peptide modified with only a single 376 Da (this form of the glycopeptide is indicated in the Figure with an arrow at m/z 1034.4). The glycopeptide peak intensity increased with the addition of each phosphate group. b) AH-3ΔWecP mutant polar flagellin. In contrast to wild type, the predominant modification in AH-3ΔwecP was a single 376 Da sugar. The glycopeptide clusters resulting from the heptasaccharide glycan and additional variable modification were observed, but with decreased intensity as compared to the monosaccharide modification. c) AH-2767 (gne mutant) polar flagellin. A decrease in the complexity of glycan modification was observed. The most abundant modification observed was the single 376 Da glycan. Glycopetpide clusters were not observed in the same manner when compared to wild type and the longer chain modifying glycans were not observed. In addition, the unmodified peptide was also observed at m/z 846.42+. This was not detectable in wild type, Figure legend: solid pentagon = 376 Da sugar; • = hexose; ▪ = HexNAc; ▴ = 102 Da unknown moiety; • = phosphorylation; ▪ = methylation; * = truncated peptide.

Gne corresponds to pan class="Chemical">AH-2767 gne mutant and ΔWecP to AH-3ΔWecP mutant.

The relative intensity ratios for two polar flagellin pan class="Chemical">peptides are shown: the peptide TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR peptide sequence common to both FlaA and FlaB (1690 Da) (1), while the peptide MTSAFTISGIASSTK is present in FlaB only (1501 Da) (2). Unmodified forms of the n>an class="Chemical">peptides, peptides modified with the single 376 Da pseudaminic acid derivative, and representative glycopeptide ions from each ion cluster are listed. For each peptide/glycopeptide, the ion intensity expressed as a ratio relative to the ion intensity observed in wild type. Ion intensity ratios marked with an * are approximate ratios where overlapping ions in that m/z region made it impossible to measure ion intensity due to a single ion.

A. hydrophila AH-3 gne Mutant (AH-2767)

The pan class="Chemical">AH-2767 mutant was still able to produce polar and lateral flagella but our previous work showed that the bacteria had a clear reduction in their motility [19] (Figure 1). In the current work, we examined the polar flagellum by EM and observed that it was shorter and more fragile in the AH-2767 mutant compared with wild type strain (Figure 4). The mutant was fully complemented by pACYC-GNE plasmid [19] and wild type polar flagellin restored, as could be observed in Figure 4.

Figure 4

A/Electron microscopy of whole cells from A. hydrophila strains stained according to Experimental Procedures.

Bar represents 1μ. B/SDS-PAGE of purified polar flagellins. C/Western blot using specific antiserum against purified polar flagellins. St, size standard. 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila AH-2767 gne mutant; and 3, A. hydrophila AH-2767 mutant complemented with plasmid pACYC-GNE (19). D/Western blot using specific antiserum against GlcNAc. Lanes: 1, A. hydrophila AH-2767 gne mutant; 2, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); and 3, AH-3ΔWecP mutant. The arrows in 2A pointed out the more short and fragile flagellum of the mutant versus the wild type flagellum.

Bar represents 1μ. B/pan class="Chemical">SDS-PAGE of purified polar flagellins. C/Western blot using specific antiserum against purified polar flagellins. St, size standard. 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila AH-2767 gne mutant; and 3, A. hydrophila AH-2767 mutant complemented with plasmid pACYC-GNE (19). D/Western blot using specific antiserum against GlcNAc. Lanes: 1, A. hydrophila AH-2767 gne mutant; 2, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); and 3, AH-3ΔWecP mutant. The arrows in 2A pointed out the more short and fragile flagellum of the mutant versus the wild type flagellum.

We purified the polar flagellum from the mutant and compared it with the flagellum of the wild type strain. The amount of polar flagellin obtained from 1l culture of the mutant versus the same amount of wild type growth is reduced in approximately 70% judged by densitometry of the gel bands. Figure 4 shows that there is a large variability in the molecular weight of flagellins in the mutant, with bands corresponding to polar flagellin migrating to approximate molecular weights between 44 and 30 kDa. This is in comparison with polar flagellin from wild type, which migrates to pan class="Chemical">three discrete bands between 43 and 45 kDa. A full recovery of the wild typn>e polar flagellin profile and protein abn>an class="Chemical">undance was observed when the mutant was complemented by pACYC-GNE plasmid [19] (Figure 4b), and motility (Figure 1). No differences were observed between the wild type strain and the AH-2767 mutant in lateral flagella production when examined by EM or with purified lateral flagella.

Mass Spectrometry Analyses of Polar Flagellin from A. hydrophila AH-3 gne Mutant

pan class="Chemical">Protein mass analysis was carried out on polar flagellin isolated from the n>an class="Chemical">AH-2767 mutant (AH-3 gne mutant). The MS profile showed a complex ion envelope with poor ionization, which could not be resolved to give observed intact protein masses. However, the protein MS spectrum did show an intense ion at m/z 377 likely corresponding the glycan oxonium ion of the 376 Da pseudaminic acid derivative (data not shown). MS/MS analyses of tryptic peptides from polar flagellin isolated from the mutant showed four of the five glycopeptides previously observed in the wild type [9]. However, the predominant modification of these peptides in the mutant strain was observed to be a single 376 Da moiety, compared with the wild type flagellin where the major modification was a complex and variable heptasaccharide glycan chain. The MS/MS spectrum of the 94–109 TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR glycopeptide (sequence present in both FlaA and FlaB), with a 376 Da glycan modification is shown in Figure 5. Figure 3a and c, show the LC-MS spectra of flagellin tryptic digests from wild type and AH-2767 mutant at 13.1–13.8 minutes (elution time for the 94–109 TLAQQSANGSN NTDDR glycopeptide). Comparison of the MS spectra showed a much reduced intensity of the multiply charged ion clusters in the AH-2767 mutant strain. Almost no phosphorylation or methylation of the HexNAc residues was observed in the mutant strain. However, some heterogeneity was observed in the polar flagellin glycosylation in the AH-2767 mutant and this resulted from the presence of variable glycan chain lengths ranging from mono-saccharide to the full length heptasaccharide (annotated in Figure 3c). Specifically, the doubly charged ions at m/z 1034.4, 1115.5, 1196.5, and 1298.1 represent intermediate glycan chain lengths [Pse-162 or Pse-162–162 (162 = Hexose)] observed in the AH-2767 mutant but not in wild type. By comparing the relative intensity of the peaks with the wild type data, the relative intensity of the peaks it can be observed that AH-2767 mutant showed the most intense glycopeptide peak of doubly charged ion with m/z of 1034 (376 monosaccharide alone) and low intensity doubly charged glycopeptide ion peaks at m/z 1196 and 1115 (376 monosaccharide with two or one hexoses, respectively). Table 1 shows the relative intensities of the ion clusters for the polar flagellin from the mutant, compared with the wild type.

Figure 5

nLC-MS/MS AH-2767 gne mutant polar flagellin glycopeptide spectrum.

nLC-MS/MS spectrum of the doubly charged ion at m/z 1034.4 eluting between 13.1 and 13.8 minutes. The peptide sequence was identified by y and b ion series as 94TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR109 which corresponds to both the FlaA and FlaB sequences. The unmodified singly charged peptide ion can be seen at m/z 1691.7, giving a mass excess of 376 Da (pseudaminic acid derivative). The prominent peaks at m/z 377 and 359 correspond to the glycan oxonium ion and its dehydrated form, respectively.

nLC-MS/MS spectrum of the doubly charged ion at m/z 1034.4 eluting between 13.1 and 13.8 minutes. The peptide sequence was identified by y and b ion pan class="Chemical">series as 94TLAQQSANGSNNTDDR109 which correspn>onds to both the FlaA and FlaB sequences. The unmodified singly charged peptide ion can be seen at m/z 1691.7, giving a mass excess of 376 Da (n>an class="Chemical">pseudaminic acid derivative). The prominent peaks at m/z 377 and 359 correspond to the glycan oxonium ion and its dehydrated form, respectively.

Figure 6 shows the LC-MS spectrum of a second pan class="Chemical">glycopeptide, 160–174MTSA FTISGIASSTK, which is unique to FlaB. As previously noted, the wild typn>e polar flagellin (Figure 6a) shows a compn>lex pattern of glycosylation, with glycan isoforms with varying degrees of phosphorylation and methylation, denoted in Figure 6a as clusters 1–4. Again, reduced complexity of glycosylation was observed in the polar flagellin AH-2767 mutant (Figure 6b), evidenced by the absence of the glycopeptide ion clusters. It is interesting to note the in the AH-2767 mutant, the unmodified form of the FlaB peptide (m/z 751.5) and the peptide modified only by the 376 Da moiety (m/z 939.4), were not observed at high levels, as shown in Figure 6 and Table 1. As previously indicated, AH-3ΔWecP polar flagellin showed reduced levels of full length sugar chains in comparison with the same flagellin from the wild type (Figure 6c).

Figure 6

nLC-MS alignment of AH-3 polar flagellin FlaB glycopeptide.

The 1501 Da FlaB peptide MTSAFTISGIASSTK (eluting between 17.9 and 18.9 minutes) was modified by the same heptasaccharide glycan with HexNAc residues additionally variably modified by phosphate and methyl groups [9]. These additional variable modifications resulted in four major glycopeptide ion cluster regions, as indicated below each spectrum. The cluster number corresponds to the number of additional phosphate groups modifying the heptasaccharide, and peaks within that cluster possess a variable number of additional methyl groups. Only the most prominent peak within each cluster is annotated. a) Wild type polar flagellin. The heptasaccharide modification was the most abundant form of modification, with only minor amounts of peptide harbouring the 376 Da sugar were observed. The glycopeptide peak intensity increases with the addition of each phosphate group to the glycans. b) AH-2767 gne mutant polar flagellin. In this mutant, the FlaB peptide showed only minor modification with intermediate glycan chains. The unmodified peptide and peptide modified only with the 376 Da sugar were also not observed at high levels. c) AH-3ΔWecP mutant polar flagellin. In contrast to wild type, the predominant modification in AH-3ΔWecP was a single 376 Da sugar. Clustering resulting from the heptasaccharide and additional variable modification similar to that observed in wild type polar flagellin was observed, but with decreased intensity as compared to the monosaccharide modification. Figure legend: solid pentagon = 376 Da sugar; • = hexose; ▪ = HexNAc; ▴ = 102 Da unknown moiety; • = phosphorylation; ▪ = methylation; * = truncated peptide.

The 1501 Da FlaB peptide MTSAFTISGIASSTK (eluting between 17.9 and 18.9 minutes) was modified by the same pan class="Chemical">heptasaccharide glycan with n>an class="Chemical">HexNAc residues additionally variably modified by phosphate and methyl groups [9]. These additional variable modifications resulted in four major glycopeptide ion cluster regions, as indicated below each spectrum. The cluster number corresponds to the number of additional phosphate groups modifying the heptasaccharide, and peaks within that cluster possess a variable number of additional methyl groups. Only the most prominent peak within each cluster is annotated. a) Wild type polar flagellin. The heptasaccharide modification was the most abundant form of modification, with only minor amounts of peptide harbouring the 376 Da sugar were observed. The glycopeptide peak intensity increases with the addition of each phosphate group to the glycans. b) AH-2767 gne mutant polar flagellin. In this mutant, the FlaB peptide showed only minor modification with intermediate glycan chains. The unmodified peptide and peptide modified only with the 376 Da sugar were also not observed at high levels. c) AH-3ΔWecP mutant polar flagellin. In contrast to wild type, the predominant modification in AH-3ΔWecP was a single 376 Da sugar. Clustering resulting from the heptasaccharide and additional variable modification similar to that observed in wild type polar flagellin was observed, but with decreased intensity as compared to the monosaccharide modification. Figure legend: solid pentagon = 376 Da sugar; • = hexose; ▪ = HexNAc; ▴ = 102 Da unknown moiety; • = phosphorylation; ▪ = methylation; * = truncated peptide.

Isolated polar flagellins from pan class="Chemical">AH-2767 mutant were able to react with specific antiserum against GlcNAc while no reaction was observed with isolated polar flagellins from wild type strain or AH-3ΔWecP (Figure 4D).

A. hydrophila AH-3 Mutants Lacking Only O34-antigen LPS

Both mutants (pan class="Chemical">AH-2767 and pan class="Chemical">AH-3ΔwecP) lack the O34-antigen LPS characteristic of this strain [20], and others have suggested the possible involvement of O-antigen LPS in flagella glycosylation in other bacteria [21]. We therefore investigated the possible role of O34-antigen LPS in A. hydrophila AH-3 flagella glycosylation.

Previously isolated mutants (pan class="Chemical">AH-3ΔwaaL) [22] and AH-3ΔManC constructed in this study were also devoid of the O34-antigen LPS. AH-3ΔwaaL is able to produce O34-antigen LPS but lacks the O-antigen ligase (WaaL) that links it to the LPS-core. We have previously published a study using an insertional mutant in manC with possible polar effects in wecP of the cluster wb034 [23]. Then, we generated in this study an in frame manC mutant in order to avoid polarity effects. AH-3ΔManC lacks the mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase, required to produce GDP-Man, a biosynthetic precursor for polysaccharides. The AH-3ΔManC mutant is unable to produce O34-antigen LPS according to their LPS gel profile in SDS-PAGE (Figure 7A). No relevant differences in motility were observed in both mutants versus the wild type strain or by EM both mutants showed a similar polar flagellum as the wild type strain (Figure 7). Purified polar flagellins from both mutants showed the same molecular weight profile as wild type polar flagellins (Figure 8).

Figure 7

A/Motility phenotypes exhibited in swim (0.25%) agar.

B/Electron microscopy of whole cells from A. hydrophila strains stained according to Experimental Procedures. Bar represents 1μ. 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔManC; 3, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔWaaL [22], [23].

Figure 8

Purified polar flagellins from several A. hydrophila strains obtained according to Materials and Methods.

A, LPS profiles of 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔManC; 3, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔWaaL [22], [23]; 4, AH-3ΔManC+pBAD-ManC and 5, AH-3ΔWaaL+pBAD-WaaL. B/SDS-PAGE and C/Western blot using specific antiserum against purified polar flagellins. St, size standard (14, 20, 30, 45, 60, and 94 kDa). 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔManC; and 3, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔWaaL [22], [23].

B/Electron microscopy of whole cells from A. hydrophila strains stained according to Expn>erimental pan class="Chemical">Procedures. Bar represents 1μ. 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔManC; 3, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔWaaL [22], [23].

A, LPS profiles of 1, pan class="Species">A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔManC; 3, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔWaaL [22], [23]; 4, AH-3ΔManC+pBAD-ManC and 5, AH-3ΔWaaL+pBAD-WaaL. B/SDS-PAGE and C/Western blot using specific antiserum against purified polar flagellins. St, size standard (14, 20, 30, 45, 60, and 94 kDa). 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔManC; and 3, A. hydrophila O− mutant AH-3ΔWaaL [22], [23].

A Second Lipid Carrier on Strain AH-3

The use of several primers able to amplify different pan class="Chemical">Und-P domains in different n>an class="Species">Aeromonas strains allowed us to identify a second enzyme able to link sugars to a lipid carrier (named WecX: GenBank KF734980) in strain AH-3 (see Materials and Methods). This identification allowed us to obtain defined wecX insertion mutants devoid of it. The gene codifying for the enzyme WecX is located between a gene codifying for a signal transduction histidine kinase upstream and a two downstream genes codifying for glycosyltransferases which does not seem to be involved in LPS but maybe in exopolysaccharide production. Unfortunately, the complete genome of strain AH-3 is not currently available.

The single mutant pan class="Chemical">AH-3:n>an class="Chemical">WecX was non motile (Figure 9) and unable to produce polar and lateral flagella by EM (Figure 10). The similar situation was observed for the double mutant AH-3ΔWecP:WecX. No changes could be observed in their LPS profiles in comparison with their respective wild type in SDS-PAGE [18] (Figure 9). The complementation of the double mutant AH-3ΔWecP:WecX with pBAD-WecX was unable to change their LPS profile in gels (Figure 9). Because some unattached portions of flagella could be observed in the EM background of the mutants, we tried to purify the polar flagellin from the mutants by cesium chloride. A minor protein band was visualized on 1D-PAGE, obtained using 10 times more growth volume for flagellin purification from the mutants than the amount used for the wild type strain. Tandem mass spectrometry analyses of tryptic digests of the band showed it harbor low amounts of polar flagellin protein, with no detectable glycopeptides. Mass spectrometry analyses of the tryptic digests of this mutant gave 20 percent sequence coverage. De novo sequencing showed no evidence of previously observed glycopeptides, and no evidence of post translational modification of any peptides. Polar flagellin is synthesized in the cytoplasm fraction by these wecX mutants as the wild type, but very few if any are properly assembled in the membrane fraction when compared to the wild type (Figure 10).

Figure 9

A/Motility phenotypes exhibited in swim (0.25%) agar by A. hydrophila AH-3 (1), AH-3:WecX mutant (2) and the mutant complemented with pBAD-WecX (3).

B/LPS profiles of 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, AH-3:WecX mutant; 3, AH-3ΔWecP:WecX double mutant; and 4, AH-3ΔWecP:WecX with pBAD-WecX.

Figure 10

A/Electron microscopy of whole cells from A. hydrophila AH-3:WecX mutant (1) and the mutant complemented with pBAD-WecX (2) stained according to Experimental Procedures.

Bar represents 1μ. B/Western blots using specific antiserum against purified polar flagellins. Molecular weights are indicated. Cytoplasmic fractions (C), Whole membrane fractions (M), and partially purified polar flagellins (F), the fractions were separated as indicated in Materials and Methods section. Strains: 1, A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, AH-3:WecX mutant, and 3 the mutant complemented with pBAD33-WecX.

B/Lpan class="Chemical">PS profiles of 1, pan class="Species">A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, AH-3:WecX mutant; 3, AH-3ΔWecP:WecX double mutant; and 4, AH-3ΔWecP:WecX with pBAD-WecX.

Bar represents 1μ. B/Western blots using specific antipan class="Chemical">serum against purified polar flagellins. Molecular weights are indicated. Cytopn>lasmic fractions (C), Whole membrane fractions (M), and partially purified polar flagellins (F), the fractions were separated as indicated in Materials and Methods section. Strains: 1, n>an class="Species">A. hydrophila AH-3 (wild type); 2, AH-3:WecX mutant, and 3 the mutant complemented with pBAD33-WecX.

When we introduced the pBAD-WecX into the single mutant AH-3:WecX or the double mutant AH-3ΔWecP:WecX, and we grow the strains under inducing conditions (+0.2% arabinose), they recover the full motility (Figure 9) and the flagella production by EM was the same as observed with the wild type strain (Figure 10). The complemented strains showed flagellin in the membrane fraction and in purified flagella (Figure 10) with the same MW as the wild type. No changes in motility or flagella production by EM could be observed when we introduced the plasmid vector alone (pBAD33) and the mutant strains grow under inducing conditions.

The mutants that lack O34-antigen Lpan class="Chemical">PS showed a reduced virulence when tested in several animals by intraperitoneal injection [19], [23]. When we tested the pan class="Chemical">AH-3ΔWecX or mutants unable to produce flagella from the same strain no such reduction of the virulence could be observed in the same animal models.

Discussion

The list of bacterial species that modify their flagellin proteins with diverse pan class="Chemical">glycans continues to grow and was recently reviewed [6], [24], however an pan class="Chemical">understanding of the biological role of glycosylation remains limited. In the current study, we show that flagellin glycosylation impacts the ability of A. hydrophilla AH-3 to form full flagellar filaments and motility.

pan class="Chemical">WecP is the integral membrane protein that catalyzes the transfer of pan class="Chemical">GalNAc-1-phosphate onto Und-P and the major modification for AH-3ΔWecP mutant was the loss of O34-antigen LPS [18]. Several fully sequenced strains of Aeromonas encode genes for more than enzyme linking sugars to a lipid carrier. For example, strain ATCC7966T [30] constitutively expresses polar flagellum and lacks an inducible lateral flagella [25], and showed several putative enzymes able to link sugars to lipid carriers in addition to WecP.

A second enzyme able to link pan class="Chemical">sugars to a n>an class="Chemical">lipid carrier on strain AH-3 was identified in this study, denoted WecX, that we show is responsible for the heptasaccharide glycosylation of the polar flagellin without modifying the O34-antigen LPS. This conclusion is in agreement with the data of no changes in the LPS and no production of polar flagellum by EM, no motility, or the non-glycosylated flagellin observed in the mutants (AH-3:WecX and AH-3ΔWecP:WecX). All these negative traits were recovered by the introduction of the AH-3 wecX. To our knowledge this is the first report of a lipid carrier involved in flagella O-glycosylation. It has been recently described that other external organelles like fimbriae showed O-glycosylation with the recruitment of a lipid carrier [10], [26]. However, while fimbriae are inducible external organelles, the A. hydrophila AH-3 polar flagellum is constitutively expressed [27]. WecX protein sequence showed clear undecaprenyl-phosphate glucose phosphotransferase domain. Computer programs, such as TMHHM 2.0 (Prediction of transmembrane helices in proteins from the Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Denmark; http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/TMHMM/), have been used to predict transmembrane helices and membrane topology models for proteins involved in the transfer of sugar phosphate residues to undecaprenol phosphate (Und-P) such as WecA [17], WecP [18] and WbaP [16]. The same computer program was used to model the A. hydrophila AH-3 WecX molecular topology revealing that not feed in any of the known models, but two clear transmembrane regions could be observed at the beginning (first 40 amino acid residues) and the end of the protein (the last 25 amino acid residues). It is important to notice that none of these transferase-catalyzed reactions to the membrane-associated polyprenol phosphate acceptor (Und-P) until now described [15] uses a sugar nucleotide related to Pse or a Pse derivative.

The results obtained in this current work allow us to suggest the hierarchy of polar flagellin O-pan class="Chemical">glycosylation. While pan class="Chemical">pesudaminic acid (Pse) biosynthetic mutants are unable to form flagella because they are unable to produce properly flagellin in the cytoplasm [9], the WecX mutant (AH-3:WecX) is able to do it. It seems unable to produce flagella probably because could not locate the heptasaccharide outside the membrane, absence of the lipid carrier. This second lipid carrier WecX is unable to restore the O:34 antigen LPS in the double mutant AH-3ΔWecP:WecX, thus indicating that is used only in flagella glycosylation.

Thus, the first initial sugar linked to the flagellin is pan class="Chemical">Pse-like, with the hexasaccharide [(162-162-203-297-376-102 Da), 2 Hex, 3HexNAc unsubstituted or substituted with phosphate and methylgroups, and unknown glycan 102 Da], being this heptasaccharide produced by the lipid carrier WecX. We proposed the following molecular model (Figure 11). We suggest that WecX is able to link CMP-Pse-like to Und-P, and several different glycosyltransferases are able to form sequentially the heptasaccharide linked to Und-P, being first the glycosyltransferases that add Hex, then the glycosyltransferases that add HexNAc, and finally a putative transferase for the unknown glycan of 102 Da. Then, one enzyme that we named OTase like, transfers in an O-glycosylation basis these heptasaccharide to the threonine/serine amino acids of the polar flagellin. Once the flagellins molecules are glycosylated could be transported to produce the polar flagellum.

Figure 11

Molecular model proposed for the polar flagellum glycosylation.

We suggest that WecX is able to link CMP-Pselike to Und-P, and several different glycosyltransferases are able to form sequentially the heptasaccharide linked to Und-P, being first the glycosyltransferases that add Hex (two of them), then the glycosyltransferases that add GalNAc or a derivate of it (three of them), and finally a putative transferase for the unknown glycan of 102 Da. Then an enzyme, that we named OTase like, transfers in O-glycosylation basis these heptasaccharide to the threonine/serine amino acids of the polar flagellin. Once the flagellins molecules are glycosylated could be transported to produce the polar flagellum. Gne is the enzyme that converts UDP-GlcNAc in UDP-GalNAc, and their lack jeopardizes the UDP-GalNAc formation.

We suggest that pan class="Chemical">WecX is able to link CMpan class="Chemical">P-Pselike to Und-P, and several different glycosyltransferases are able to form sequentially the heptasaccharide linked to Und-P, being first the glycosyltransferases that add Hex (two of them), then the glycosyltransferases that add GalNAc or a derivate of it (three of them), and finally a putative transferase for the unknown glycan of 102 Da. Then an enzyme, that we named OTase like, transfers in O-glycosylation basis these heptasaccharide to the threonine/serine amino acids of the polar flagellin. Once the flagellins molecules are glycosylated could be transported to produce the polar flagellum. Gne is the enzyme that converts UDP-GlcNAc in UDP-GalNAc, and their lack jeopardizes the UDP-GalNAc formation.

The pan class="Species">A. hydrophila n>an class="Chemical">AH-2767 gne mutant showed a great reduction in the phenotypic traits (motility in swimmimg plates, polar flagellum by EM or molecular weight size variation) compared with the wild type strain. This is in agreement with the protein glycosylation data, which show the polar flagellin in this mutant to be modified with Pse or truncated glycan chains with one or two hexoses major moieties and only a little of the full length heptasaccharide moiety. The AH-2767 gne mutant is unable to form UPDGalNAc from UDPGlcNAc [19], suggesting that in the wild type, the HexNAc observed in the minimal amount of heptasaccharide formed was GalNAc or a derivative of it. We could detect presence of GlcNAc in isolated AH-2767 gne mutant polar flagellins, which is not detected in the corresponding from the wild type, suggesting that this monosaccharide can be substituted into the glycan chain. This fact explains why the major glycosylation in the fagellin of this mutant is Pse, Pse-Hex or Pse-Hex-Hex. Although substitution of GlcNAc did not result in formation of wild type flagellin heptasaccharide glycosylation, a minimum amount could be detected in the mutant perhaps for the permissively of the corresponding glycosyl transferases. For instance C. jejuni PglA showed a relaxed specifity accepting several substrates in formation of the heptasaccharide for N-glycosylation [28], [29].

The AH-3Δpan class="Chemical">WecP mutant showed a slight reduction in motility or in the molecular weight of polar flagellins when compared to the wild type strain. In agreement, the major modification for AH-3ΔWecP polar flagellin was with a single 376 Da (Pse derivative) moiety and lower levels of the heptasaccharide. WecP could do a minor collaboration in flagellin glycosylation but it is not essential like WecX. Both mutants (AH-2767 gne and AH-3ΔWecP) are devoid of O34-antigen LPS [18], [19]. O34-antigen LPS mutants (AH-3ΔManC and AH-3ΔwaaL) showed no changes in motility, flagella production, or molecular weight of the polar flagellin. From the glycosylation studies, we can conclude that the O34-antigen LPS is not involved in A. hydrophila AH-3 flagellin glycosylation, and the O34-antigen ligase (WaaL) is also not involved.

In several bacterial species, for example pan class="Species">C. jejuni [30], n>an class="Species">H. pylori [31] and C. difficile [32], altered forms of flagellin glycosylation and neither mutant strain was able to form a complete wild type-like flagellum. In this study, abolished or incomplete flagellin glycosylation resulted in alter motility phenotypes. This was also observed with C. difficile, where abolition of flagellin glycosylation resulted in loss of motility [32]. In conclusion, the current study starts to unravel the complex mechanism of polar flagellar glycosylation in AH-3. We show for the first time the role of an Und-P carrier in flagellin modification with a proposed model (Figure 11), and determine the HexNAc modification to be GalNAc. In addition we have begun to shed light on the role of flagellum glycosylation in flagellum formation and motility.

Materials and Methods

Bacterial Strains, Plasmids and Growth Conditions

The bacterial strains and plasmids used in this study are listed in Table 2. pan class="Species">E. coli strains were grown on Luria-Bertani (LB) Miller broth and LB Miller pan class="Chemical">agar at 37ΔC, while Aeromonas strains were grown either in tryptic soy broth (TSB) or agar (TSA) at 30ΔC. When indicated kanamycin (50 µg/ml), rifampicin (100 µg/ml), spectinomycin (50 µg/ml), tetracycline (20 µg/ml) and chloramphenicol (25 µg/ml) were added to the media.

Table 2

Bacterial strains and plasmids used.

Strain or plasmid	Relevant characteristics	Reference or source
E. coli strains
DH5α	F− end A hsdR17 (rK− mK+) supE44 thi-1 recA1 gyr-A96 _80lacZM15	[41]
XL1-Blue	recA1 endA1 gyrA96 thi-1 hsdR17 supE44 relA1 lac (F− proABlacIqZ_M15 Tn10)	Stratagene
S17-1	hsdR pro recA, RP4-2 in chromosomeKm::Tn7 (Tc::Mu)	[27]
BL21(λD3)	F− ompT hsdSB (rB − mB −) gal dcm(λD3)	Novagen
A. hydrophila strains
AH-3	O34, Wild type	[27]
AH-405	AH-3, spontaneous RifR	[27]
AH-3ΔManC	AH-3 mutant in frame unable produce O34-antigen LPS	This study
AH-3ΔPseB	AH-3 pseB mutant in frame with pDM4	[9]
AH-3ΔPseFΔManC	AH-3 double mutant pseB and in frame unable produce O34-antigen LPS.	This study
AH-3:WecX	AH-3 wecX defined insertion mutant, CmR	This study
AH-3ΔWecP:WecX	AH-3ΔWecP wecX defined insertion mutant, CmR	This study
Plasmids
pRK2073	Helper plasmid, SpcR	[27]
pCM100	Suicide plasmid, CmR	[39]
pCM-WecX	pCM100 suicide plasmid with truncated wecX, CmR	This study
pBAD33	arabinose inducible expression vector, CmR	[40]
pBAD-ManC	pBAD33 with AH-3 manC	This study
pBAD-WaaL	pBAD33 with AH-3 waaL	[22]
pBAD-WecP	pBAD33 with AH-3 wecP	[18]
pBAD-WecX	pBAD33 with AH-3 wecX	This study
pACYC-GNE	pACYC184 with AH-3 gne	[19]
pDM4	pir dependent with sacAB genes, oriR6K, CmR	[38]
pDM4-ManC	pDM4 with AH-3 manC fragment, CmR	This study

DNA Techniques

DNA pan class="Species">manipn>ulations were carried out essentially according to standard procedures [33]. DNA restriction endonucleases and n>an class="Species">E. coli DNA polymerase Klenow fragment were obtained from Promega. T4 DNA ligase and alkaline phosphatase were obtained from Invitrogen and GE Healthcare, respectively. PCR was performed using BioTaq DNA polymerase (Ecogen) in a Gene Amplifier PCR System 2400 Perkin Elmer Thermal Cycler. Plasmid DNA for sequencing was isolated by Qiagen plasmid purification kit (Qiagen, Inc. Ltd.) as recommended by the suppliers. Double-strand DNA sequencing was performed by using the Sanger dideoxy-chain termination method [34] with the BigDye Terminator v3.1 cycle sequencing kit (Applied Biosystem). Custom-designed primers used for DNA sequencing were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. The DNA sequences were compared with those available in the GenBank and EMBL databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) [35]. The Terminator search program in the GCG Wisconsin package was used to search for factor independent transcriptional terminators. The Neural Network Promoter Prediction, PromScan [36] and PRODORIC [37] were used to search promoter sequences.

Construction of Defined Mutants

The chromosomal in-frame manC deletion mutant n>an class="Species">A. hydrophila AH-3ΔmanC was constructed by allelic exchange as described by Milton et al. [38]. Briefly, upstream (fragment AB) and downstream (fragment CD) of manC gene was independently amplified using two sets of asymmetric PCRs. Primer pairs A-ManC (5′-CGC) and B-ManC (5′-) and C-ManC (5′-) and D-ManC (5′-CGC) amplify DNA fragments of 830 (Man-AB) and 798 (Man-CD) bp for manC in-frame deletion. DNA fragments AB and CD were annealed at the overlapping regions (underlined letters in primers B and C) and amplified as a single fragment using primers A and D. The fusion products were purified, BamHI digested (the BamHI site is double-underlined in primer A and D), ligated into BglII-digested and phosphatase-treated pDM4 vector independently [38], electroporated into E. coli MC1061 (λpir), and plated on chloramphenicol plates at 30°C to obtain pDM4-ManC plasmid. Plasmid pDM4-ManC with mutated gen were transferred into A. hydrophila AH-405 by triparental mating using the E. coli MC1061 (λpir) containing the insertion constructs and the mobilizing strain HB101/pRK2073. Transconjugants were selected on plates containing chloramphenicol and rifampicin. PCR analysis confirmed that the vector had integrated correctly into the chromosomal DNA. After sucrose treatment, transconjugants that were rifampicin resistant (RifR) and chloramphenicol sensitive (CmS) were chosen and confirmed by PCR, being one of the AH-3ΔmanC. Similar procedure was used to obtain the double mutant AH-3ΔPseBΔManC by using plasmid pDM4-ManC and A. hydrophila AH-3ΔpseB [9].

The primers used for wecX internal ampn>lification were 5′- CAGACG ATGGTCAGATCC -3′ and 5′-GTCTCTCCCTGCTTACCC-3′ resulting in an ampn>licon of 586 bpn> that was subcloned in pGEMT. After EcoRI digestion the plasmid pGEMT-pan class="Chemical">wecX was treated with E. coli DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) to create blunt ends in order to ligate the band to pCM100 (suicide plasmid, λpir dependent, [40]) to obtain plasmid pCM-WecX. This plasmid was used to isolate wecX deficient mutants from AH-3 and AH-3ΔWecP (AH-3:WecX and AH-3ΔWecP;WecX, respectively) by a single recombination event according to previously described procedures [39].

Plasmid Constructions

Plasmid pBAD-ManC and pBAD-WecX containing the complete manC and wecX of A. hydrophila AH-3 under the arabinose promoter (pBAD) on pBAD33 [40] were obtained, respectively. Oligonucleotides 5′- TCC and 5′-CCC generated a band of 1687 bp containing the manC gene. Oligonucleotides 5′- GC and 5′- TCC generated a band of 900 bp containing the wecX gene. The amplified bands were digested with SmaI and HindIII and ligated into SmaI and HindIII digested pBAD33 vector to construct the pBAD-ManC plasmid, or digested with SmaI and XbaI like pBAD33 vector to construct the pBAD-WecX plasmid. Both plasmids were independently introduced into the E. coli DH5α [41] and sequenced.

Flagella Purification

pan class="Species">A. hydrophila pan class="Chemical">AH-3 was grown in TSB for the polar flagellum purification. For the isolation of lateral flagella the strains were grown in TSA and plates washed with 100 mM Tris (pH = 7.8). Cells were in both cases collected by centrifugation at 5000×g, and suspended in the same Tris buffer. Flagella were removed from the cells by shearing in a vortex with a glass bar for 3–4 minutes, and then passing repetitively (minimum six times) through a syringe. Cells were removed by centrifugation at 8000×g for 30 minutes, and the supernatant centrifuged at 18000×g for 20 minutes. From the remaining supernatant the flagella were pelleted by ultracentrifugation at 100 000×g for 60 minutes, and resuspended in 100 mM Tris (pH = 7.8) plus 2mM EDTA buffer. This flagella enriched fraction was purified in a cesium chloride gradient by ultracentifugation at 60 000×g for 48 hours. The band containing the flagella was collected, the cesium chloride removed by extensive dialysis against the same buffer (100mM Tris 2mM EDTA). Purified flagella were analyzed by SDS-PAGE or by glycosylation chemical studies.

Cell Fractions

pan class="Species">A. hydrophila cells grown in trypn>tic soy broth at 25°C were harvested by centrifugation (5000×g), washed with 20 mM pan class="Chemical">MgCl2 in 100 mM Tris buffer (pH = 8.0), and resuspended in the same cold buffer, and French press cell lysis was performed. The lysates were centrifuged at 5000×g to remove unbroken cells. After centrifugation at 4°C for 1 h at 115,000×g, the cytoplasmic fraction remained in the supernatant, whereas the whole membrane fraction was retained in the pellet.

Immunological Methods

Western blot of purified flagella was performed as briefly described. After SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting was carried out by transfer to polyvinylidine fluoride membranes (Millipore Corp., Bedford, Mass.) at 1.3 A for 1 h in the buffer of Towbin et al. [42]. The membranes were then incubated sequentially with 1% bovine serum albumin, specific anti-polar flagellins polyclonal serum [27] (1∶2000), alkaline phosphatase-labeled goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G, and 5-bromo-4-chloroindolylphosphate disodium-nitroblue tetrazolium. Incubations were carried out for 1 h, and washing steps with 0.05% Tween 20 in phosphate-buffered saline were included after each incubation step.

Motility Assays (Swarming and Swimming)

Freshly grown bacterial colonies were transferred with a sterile toothpick into the centre of swarm pan class="Chemical">agar (1% trypn>tone, 0.5% n>an class="Chemical">NaCl, 0.5% agar) or swim agar (1% tryptone, 0.5% NaCl, 0.25% agar). The plates were incubated face up for 16–24 h at 25°C and motility was assessed by examining the migration of bacteria through the agar from the centre towards the periphery of the plate. Moreover, swimming motility was assessed by light microscopy observations in liquid media.

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

Bacterial suspensions were placed on pan class="Chemical">Formvar-coated grids and negative stained with a 2% solution of pan class="Chemical">uranyl acetate pH 4.1. Preparations were observed on a Hitachi 600 transmission electron microscope.

Electrospray Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry studies of intact flagellin proteins were carried out using 1–5 µg of protein, exactly as described previously [9]. pan class="Chemical">Glycopeptides were mapn>ped using tandem mass spn>ectrometry methods, exactly as reported in our previous work [9]. Briefly, purified flagellins (50 to 200 ng) were digested over night with trypn>sin (Promega, Madison, WI) at a ratio of 30∶1 (protein/enzyme, vol/vol) in 50 mM ammonium bicarbonate at 37°C. Protein digests were analyzed by nano-liquid chromatography NS/MS (nLC-MS/MS) using a Q-TOF Ultima Hybrid quadrupole time of flight MS (Waters, Milford, MA) [44]. Front end peptide separation was carried out using online nanoAcquity ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography system (Waters, Milford, MA) using previously detailed setup [9]. MS/MS spectra were acquired using data dependent mode or in targeted analyses on doubly, triply, and quadruply charged ions in collision induced dissociation (CID) mode. Unmodified peptides were identified using MASCOT (Matrix Science, London, UK) as described in our earlier work [43]. Glycopeptide MS/MS spectra were de novo sequenced, with peptide type y and b ions highlighted for confirmation of the peptide sequence.

Statistical Analysis

Results are expressed as the means standard deviations (SD) of pan class="Chemical">three to four expn>eriments. Student’s t test was used to compn>are mean values. Differences were considered significant when pan class="Chemical">P values were <0.05.