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Related Experiment Videos

A Clostridium difficile gene encoding flagellin.

Albert Tasteyre1, Marie-Claude Barc1, Tuomo Karjalainen1

  • 1Université de Paris-Sud, Faculté de Pharmacie, Département de Microbiologie, 5 rue JB Clément, 92296 Châtenay-Malabry cedex, France1.

Microbiology (Reading, England)
|April 28, 2000
PubMed
Summary
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Clostridium difficile flagella were identified and their flagellin gene (fliC) sequenced. Flagella do not aid adherence, but flagellin gene heterogeneity is useful for C. difficile epidemiology.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Protein Biochemistry

Background:

  • Clostridium difficile is an opportunistic pathogen.
  • Flagella are external bacterial appendages involved in motility.
  • The role of flagella in C. difficile pathogenesis is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the flagella and flagellin protein of Clostridium difficile.
  • To isolate and sequence the flagellin gene (fliC).
  • To investigate the role of flagella in C. difficile adherence.

Main Methods:

  • Electron microscopy to visualize flagella.
  • Protein sequencing to determine N-terminal flagellin sequences.
  • Gene isolation, sequencing, and expression of the fliC gene.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Antiserum production and cell adherence assays.
  • PCR-RFLP and Southern analysis for genetic heterogeneity.

    • Main Results:

    • Six Clostridium difficile strains possess flagella.
    • The flagellin gene (fliC) was isolated and sequenced, showing 91% identity between two virulent strains.
    • The FliC protein has conserved N- and C-termini with a variable central region.
    • Flagella do not mediate adherence to cultured cells.
    • Significant inter-strain heterogeneity in the flagellin gene was observed.

    Conclusions:

    • Clostridium difficile flagella are not involved in adherence.
    • The flagellin gene sequence and its heterogeneity offer potential for epidemiological and phylogenetic studies of Clostridium difficile strains.