Role for the Burkholderia pseudomallei Type Three Secretion System Cluster 1 bpscN gne in vrulence

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causal agent of melioidosis, employs a number of virulence factors during its infection of mammalian cells. One such factor is the Type Three Secretion System (TTSS), which is proposed to mediate the transport and secretion of bacterial effector molecules directly into host cells. The B. pseudomallei genome contains three TTSS gene clusters (designated TTSS1, TTSS2 and TTSS3). Previous research has indicated that neither TTSS1 nor TTSS2 are involved in B. pseudomallei virulence in a hamster infection model. We have characterised a B. pseudomallei mutant lacking expression of the predicted TTSS1 ATPase encoded by bpscN. This mutant was significantly attenuated for virulence in a respiratory melioidosis mouse model of infection. In addition, analyses in vitro showed diminished survival and replication in RAW264.7 cells, an increased level of co-localisation with the autophagy marker protein LC3, but an unhindered ability to escape from phagosomes. Taken together, these data provide evidence that the TTSS1 bpscN gene product plays an important role in the intracellular survival of B. pseudomallei and the pathogenesis of murine infection.