We recently demonstrated that ClpX is critical for the pathogenesis and resistance to cell wall-acting antimicrobials of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. ClpXP is an intracellular protease conserved across many bacterial species and is often associated with cellular stresses and has been implicated in the virulence of several pathogens. Antimicrobial resistance to cell wall-acting agents can result from a decrease in autolytic activity and an increase in cell wall charge or thickness. We have examined the genetic expression of autolytic and cell charge-acting genes using real-time quantitative PCR and directly measured these characteristics in a B. anthracis mutant lacking ClpX. We examined structural cell wall differences in our ClpX mutant using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Our results indicate that the loss of ClpX does not affect the autolytic rate or cell wall charge of B. anthracis, but does result in the thinning of the cell wall.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TCU/oai:etd.tcu.edu:etd-05232013-111656 |
| Date | 23 May 2013 |
| Creators | Evans, Chris |
| Contributors | Shauna M McGillivray, Giridhar Akkaraju, Michael Chumley |
| Publisher | Texas Christian University |
| Source Sets | Texas Christian University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf, application/octet-stream |
| Source | http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-05232013-111656/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to TCU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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