BackgroundPorphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium associated with periodontal disease onset and progression. Genetic tools for the manipulation of bacterial genomes allow for in-depth mechanistic studies of metabolism, physiology, interspecies and host-pathogen interactions. Analysis of the essential genes, protein-coding sequences necessary for survival of P. gingivalis by transposon mutagenesis has not previously been attempted due to the limitations of available transposon systems for the organism. We adapted a Mariner transposon system for mutagenesis of P. gingivalis and created an insertion mutant library. By analyzing the location of insertions using massively-parallel sequencing technology we used this mutant library to define genes essential for P. gingivalis survival under in vitro conditions.ResultsIn mutagenesis experiments we identified 463 genes in P. gingivalis strain ATCC 33277 that are putatively essential for viability in vitro. Comparing the 463 P. gingivalis essential genes with previous essential gene studies, 364 of the 463 are homologues to essential genes in other species; 339 are shared with more than one other species. Twenty-five genes are known to be essential in P. gingivalis and B. thetaiotaomicron only. Significant enrichment of essential genes within Cluster of Orthologous Groups ‘D’ (cell division), ‘I’ (lipid transport and metabolism) and ‘J’ (translation/ribosome) were identified. Previously, the P. gingivalis core genome was shown to encode 1,476 proteins out of a possible 1,909; 434 of 463 essential genes are contained within the core genome. Thus, for the species P. gingivalis twenty-two, seventy-seven and twenty-three percent of the genome respectively are devoted to essential, core and accessory functions.ConclusionsA Mariner transposon system can be adapted to create mutant libraries in P. gingivalis amenable to analysis by next-generation sequencing technologies. In silico analysis of genes essential for in vitro growth demonstrates that although the majority are homologous across bacterial species as a whole, species and strain-specific subsets are apparent. Understanding the putative essential genes of P. gingivalis will provide insights into metabolic pathways and niche adaptations as well as clinical therapeutic strategies.

Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, a severe diarrheal disease that remains endemic in many parts of the world and can cause outbreaks wherever sanitation and clean water systems break down. Prevention of disease could be achieved through improved sanitation and clean water provision supported by vaccination. V. cholerae serogroup O1 is the major cause of cholera; O1 serotypes Inaba and Ogawa have similar disease burdens, while O139 is the only non-O1 serogroup to cause epidemics. We showed previously that immunization of adult female mice with purified V. cholerae outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) elicits an antibody response that protect neonates from oral V. cholerae challenge and that suckling from an immunized dam accounts for the majority of protection from V. cholerae colonization. Here we report that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major OMV protective antigen. Mucosal immunization with OMVs from Inaba or Ogawa provides significant cross-serotype protection from V. cholerae colonization, although serotype-specific antigens are dominant. OMVs from O1 or O139 do not provide cross-serogroup protection, but by immunization with a mixture of O1 and O139 OMVs, cross-serogroup protection was achieved. Neonatal protection is not associated with significant bacterial death but may involve inhibition of motility, as antibodies from OMVimmunized mice inhibit V. cholerae motility in vitro, with trends that parallel in vivo protection. Motility assays also reveal that a higher antibody titer is required to immobilize O139 compared to O1, a phenotype that is O139 capsule dependent.