Role of trehalose biosynthesis in environmental survival and virulence of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium

The otsA and otsB genes, encoding trehalose-6-phosphate synthase and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase respectively, have been isolated from Salmonella enterica serovar tyhimurium and nucleotide-sequenced. Induction of trehalose biosynthesis by exposure of bacteria to high osmotic strength resulted in the intracellular accumulation of trehalose. An otsA mutant of S, enterica serovar typhimurium was more C susceptible to killing by heat, and grew poorly under conditions of high osmolarity, The wild-type and otsA mutant strains showed similar abilities to colonise spleen tissues after oral dosing of mice. These findings suggest that the otsBA gene products play a role in environmental survival, but not in virulence, of S. enterica serovar typhimurium. (C) 2002 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.