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Updated: Apr 3, 2026

In vitro Measurements of Tracheal Constriction Using Mice
Published on: June 25, 2012
Interspecies variations in Bordetella catecholamine receptor gene regulation and function
Timothy J Brickman1, Ryan J Suhadolc1, Sandra K Armstrong2
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Bordetella bacteria use catecholamines for iron uptake. This study shows Bordetella bronchiseptica and Bordetella pertussis BfrD and BfrE genes are functional and contribute to bacterial fitness during infection.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Pathogenesis
- Iron Metabolism
Background:
- Bordetella bronchiseptica utilizes catecholamines for iron acquisition via outer membrane receptors BfrA, BfrD, and BfrE.
- The homologous bfrD and bfrE genes in Bordetella pertussis have uncharacterized roles in iron uptake.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functionality and regulation of Bordetella spp. bfrD and bfrE genes.
- To determine the contribution of catecholamine utilization to the in vivo fitness of B. bronchiseptica and B. pertussis.
Main Methods:
- Gene expression analysis using gene fusion and quantitative RT-PCR.
- Interspecies complementation assays.
- Bacterial respiratory infection models in mice.
- Serological studies with patient sera.
Main Results:
- B. pertussis bfrD and bfrE genes are functional in B. bronchiseptica, but B. bronchiseptica bfrD/bfrE do not confer catecholamine utilization to B. pertussis.
- B. bronchiseptica bfrA expression increases with iron starvation, while bfrD/bfrE expression decreases.
- BvgAS virulence system differentially regulates bfrD expression in B. bronchiseptica and B. pertussis.
- Catecholamine utilization enhances in vivo fitness for both species.
- B. pertussis BfrD and BfrE proteins are recognized by patient sera.
Conclusions:
- Catecholamine utilization is an important virulence factor for both B. bronchiseptica and B. pertussis.
- Interspecies differences in bfrD regulation are partly attributed to variations in the BvgAS systems.
- B. pertussis BfrD and BfrE are potential targets for host immune responses.
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