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Volume 9
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10.3390/microorganisms9040676
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Article

Mab_3083c Is a Homologue of RNase J and Plays a Role in Colony Morphotype, Aggregation, and Sliding Motility of Mycobacterium abscessus

by
Ting-Yu Liu
1,
Sheng-Hui Tsai
1,
Jenn-Wei Chen
2,3,
Yu-Ching Wang
4,
Shiau-Ting Hu
1,* and
Yih-Yuan Chen
4,*
1
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Life Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
2
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
3
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
4
Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Chiayi Univeristy, Chiayi City 600, Taiwan
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2021, 9(4), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040676
Submission received: 24 February 2021 / Revised: 14 March 2021 / Accepted: 19 March 2021 / Published: 25 March 2021
(This article belongs to the Section Medical Microbiology)
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Abstract

Mycobacterium abscessus is an opportunistic pathogen causing human diseases, especially in immunocompromised patients. M. abscessus strains with a rough morphotype are more virulent than those with a smooth morphotype. Morphotype switch may occur during a clinical infection. To investigate the genes involved in colony morphotype switching, we performed transposon mutagenesis in a rough clinical strain of M. abscessus. A morphotype switching mutant (smooth) named mab_3083c::Tn was obtained. This mutant was found to have a lower aggregative ability and a higher sliding motility than the wild type strain. However, its glycopeptidolipid (GPL) content remained the same as those of the wild type. Complementation of the mutant with a functional mab_3083c gene reverted its morphotype back to rough, indicating that mab_3083c is associated with colony morphology of M. abscessus. Bioinformatic analyses showed that mab_3083c has a 75.4% identity in amino acid sequence with the well-characterized ribonuclease J (RNase J) of M. smegmatis (RNase JMsmeg). Complementation of the mutant with the RNase J gene of M. smegmatis also switched its colony morphology from smooth back to rough. These results suggest that Mab_3083c is a homologue of RNase J and involved in regulating M. abscessus colony morphotype switching.
Keywords: Mycobacterium abscessus; Mab_3083c; RNase J; colony morphotype; aggregation; sliding motility Mycobacterium abscessus; Mab_3083c; RNase J; colony morphotype; aggregation; sliding motility

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MDPI and ACS Style

Liu, T.-Y.; Tsai, S.-H.; Chen, J.-W.; Wang, Y.-C.; Hu, S.-T.; Chen, Y.-Y. Mab_3083c Is a Homologue of RNase J and Plays a Role in Colony Morphotype, Aggregation, and Sliding Motility of Mycobacterium abscessus. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040676

AMA Style

Liu T-Y, Tsai S-H, Chen J-W, Wang Y-C, Hu S-T, Chen Y-Y. Mab_3083c Is a Homologue of RNase J and Plays a Role in Colony Morphotype, Aggregation, and Sliding Motility of Mycobacterium abscessus. Microorganisms. 2021; 9(4):676. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040676

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liu, Ting-Yu, Sheng-Hui Tsai, Jenn-Wei Chen, Yu-Ching Wang, Shiau-Ting Hu, and Yih-Yuan Chen. 2021. "Mab_3083c Is a Homologue of RNase J and Plays a Role in Colony Morphotype, Aggregation, and Sliding Motility of Mycobacterium abscessus" Microorganisms 9, no. 4: 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040676

APA Style

Liu, T.-Y., Tsai, S.-H., Chen, J.-W., Wang, Y.-C., Hu, S.-T., & Chen, Y.-Y. (2021). Mab_3083c Is a Homologue of RNase J and Plays a Role in Colony Morphotype, Aggregation, and Sliding Motility of Mycobacterium abscessus. Microorganisms, 9(4), 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040676

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