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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
Differentiating Functional Roles of Gene Expression from Immune and Non-immune Cells in Mouse Colitis by Bone Marrow Transplantation
Published on: October 1, 2012
Molecular characterization of two phenotypes of Mixta calida isolated from post-liver transplant drainage fluid
Bo Jiang1, Xiaoyan Zhu1, Yujie Lv1
1Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650032, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Kunming, 650032, China; Yunnan Province Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Kunming, 650032, China.
Background:
This study investigated the molecular basis of phenotypic variation between mucoid (mixA) and dry (mixB) Mixta calida strains from a liver transplant recipient.
Methods:
Genomic analysis (comparative and pangenome), virulence/antibiotic resistance profiling, transcriptomic analysis, and quantitative biofilm assays were conducted.
Results:
MixA and mixB showed >99.99 % sequence identity and extensive collinearity. Pangenome analysis identified mixA's unique CLUSTER3688 (O-antigen/teichoic acid export protein), suggesting altered cell surface modification. Virulence/resistance profiles and MICs were largely conserved. Significant differential gene expression occurred: mixA upregulated stress response and carbohydrate utilization genes, while downregulating sulfur metabolism, ABC transporters, ribosome, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis genes, suggesting lower metabolic activity. Biofilm assays showed no significant biomass difference, but mixA's unique surface export gene may influence structure.
Conclusions:
The mucoid/dry phenotypic variation in Mixta calida appears driven by combined subtle genomic differences, including unique surface component export genes, and significant transcriptional reprogramming affecting key metabolic, stress response, and cell surface pathways. These findings are crucial for understanding this emerging pathogen's adaptation and pathogenesis.
