Modulation of Swarming and Virulence by Fatty Acids through the RsbA Protein in Proteus mirabilis

Modulation of swarming and virulence by fatty acids through the RsbA protein in Proteus mirabilis.

After sensing external signals, Proteus mirabilis undergoes a multicellular behavior called swarming which is coordinately regulated with the expression of virulence factors. Here we report that exogenously added fatty acids could act as signals to regulate swarming in P. mirabilis. Specifically, while oleic acid enhanced swarming, some saturated fatty acids, such as lauric acid, myristic acid,...

Plasmids and Putative Virulence Characters in Proteus mirabilis

Urea restrains swarming of Proteus mirabilis.

In veterinary microbiology, samples taken from ears or wounds of dogs and cats are often contaminated by Proteus mirabilis. P. mirabilis swarms over the entire plate culture of these samples, making it almost impossible to isolate single colonies of other bacterial species present in the sample. Various compounds, like p-nitrophenyl glycerin and activated charcoal, abolish the swarming of Prote...

The Dienes phenomenon: competition and territoriality in Swarming Proteus mirabilis.

When two different strains of swarming Proteus mirabilis encounter one another on an agar plate, swarming ceases and a visible line of demarcation forms. This boundary region is known as the Dienes line and is associated with the formation of rounded cells. While the Dienes line appears to be the product of distinction between self and nonself, many aspects of its formation and function are unc...

Regulation of the swarming inhibitor disA in Proteus mirabilis.

The disA gene encodes a putative amino acid decarboxylase that inhibits swarming in Proteus mirabilis. 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and deletion analysis were used to identify the disA promoter. The use of a disA-lacZ fusion indicated that FlhD(4)C(2), the class I flagellar master regulator, did not have a role in disA regulation. The putative product of DisA, phenethylamine, was ...