The functional identification of Dps in oxidative stress resistance and virulence of Riemerella anatipestifer CH-1 using a new unmarked gene deletion strategy

Excessive iron in the bacterial cytoplasm can potentiate the production of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). Riemerella anatipestifer (R. anatipestifer, RA), a gram-negative bacterium, encodes an iron uptake system, but its iron detoxification mechanism is unknown. Here, the dps gene of R. anatipestifer CH-1 (RA-CH-1) was deleted using sacB as a counterselection marker. The dps mutant was more sensitive to H2O2 than the wild type in iron-rich conditions but not in iron-limited conditions, suggesting that Dps prevents H2O2-induced damage through iron binding. However, the dps mutant and wild type were identically sensitive to bactericidal antibiotics, and antibiotic treatment did not enhance RA-CH-1 ROS production. Furthermore, Dps prevents DNA damage by binding DNA. The RA-CH-1 dps transcript level was higher in the stationary phase than in the early and exponential phases and was increased by OxyR in the presence of H2O2. Finally, duckling colonization by the dps mutant was similar to that by the wild type at 48 h postinfection but significantly lower at 60 h postinfection, suggesting that RA-CH-1 Dps is not involved in host invasion but increases resistance to host clearance. Dps thus likely plays an important role in R. anatipestifer physiology and pathogenesis through protecting against oxidative stress.