Abstract
Salmonella enterica subsp. I serovar Enteritidis exhibits type III secretion system 2 (TTSS2)-dependent early colonization and inflammation kinetics faster than those of closely related S. enterica serovar Typhimurium. To investigate the accelerated TTSS-2-dependent pathogenic potential of S. Enteritidis, we focused on its genome. Results of a previously published comparative genomic study revealed the presence of mutually exclusive genes in both serovars. In this study, we investigated the roles of six S. Enteritidis-specific genes in vivo by using differential fluorescence induction (DFI) through putative gene-specific promoters. The promoter construct associated with the gene locus SEN1140 induced green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in the gut lumen, lamina propria, mesenteric lymph nodes, and related systemic organs. To further investigate the potential role of SEN1140, we compared a SEN1140 deletion mutant with S. Typhimurium in a TTSS1-deficient background. Interestingly, the S. Enteritidis mutant lacking SEN1140 did not show the unique TTSS-2-dependent early colonization and inflammation kinetic phenotype of S. Typhimurium. Consistent with this result, complementation of SEN1140 restored the TTSS-2-dependent accelerated inflammatory potential of S. Enteritidis. This report presents a suitable screening strategy that uses a combination of DFI, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, quantitative PCR, and wild-type isogenic tagged-strain techniques to explore the unique roles of S. Enteritidis-specific genes in bacterial pathogenesis.