The capacity of Listeria monocytogenes mutants with in-frame deletions in putative ATP-binding cassette transporters to form biofilms and comparison with the wild type

• Main Authors: Marina Ceruso, Pina Fratamico, Claudia Chirollo, Rosanna Taglialatela, Maria Luisa Cortesi, Tiziana Pepe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PAGEPress Publications 2014-02-01
• Series: Italian Journal of Food Safety
• Subjects: ABC transporters, Biofilm, L. monocytogenes
• Online Access: http://www.pagepressjournals.org/index.php/ijfs/article/view/1657

<em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> (Lm) is a food-borne pathogen responsible for human listeriosis, an invasive infection with high mortality rates. <em>Lm</em> has developed efficient strategies for survival under stress conditions such as starvation and wide variations in temperature, pH, and osmolarity. Therefore, Lm can survive in food under multiple stress conditions. Detailed studies to determine the mode of action of this pathogen for survival under stress conditions are important to control <em>Lm</em> in food. It has been shown that genes encoding for ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are induced in <em>Lm</em> in food, in particular under stress conditions. Previous studies showed that these genes are involved in sensitivity to nisin, acids, and salt. The aim of this study was to determine the involvement of some ABC transporters in biofilm formation. Therefore, deletion mutants of ABC transporter genes (<em>LMOf2365_1875</em> and <em>LMOf2365_1877</em>) were created in Lm F2365, and then were compared to the wild type for their capacity to form biofilms. Lm strain F2365 was chosen as reference since the genome is fully sequenced and furthermore this strain is particularly involved in food-borne outbreaks of listeriosis. Our results showed that <em>DLMOf2365_1875</em> had an increased capacity to form biofilms compared to the wild type, indicating that <em>LMOf2365_1875</em> negatively regulates biofilm formation. A deeper knowledge on the ability to form biofilms in these mutants may help in the development of intervention strategies to control <em>Lm</em> in food and in the environment.