Identification of a core set of Campylobacter jejuni flagella modification genes and a reversible non-motile maf3 phenotype
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Assembly of flagella filaments in Campylobacter jejuni requires post-translational O-glycosylation of the flagellin proteins with pseudaminic acid, legionaminic acid and related derivatives. This species is unusual as the addition of pseudaminic acid replaces the requirements for toll-like receptor 5 motifs present in most bacterial flagellin proteins. The distribution and functions of the motility accessory factor genes, encoding glycosyltransferases, responsible for the modification of C. jejuni flagellin across this species, are not fully understood. Disruption of these genes can affect autoaggregation, motility, colonization and biofilm formation. Bioinformatic analyses for the presence/absence of biosynthetic and transferase genes were performed across 16,130 C . jejuni genomes for homologues of genes contained in the C. jejuni strain NCTC11168 flagella locus. The presence of four putative transferases – cj1295 , maf7 , cj1305 and cj1306 – correlated with pseudaminic acid biosynthetic genes, whereas legionaminic acid biosynthetic genes were correlated with another five maf genes. A full NCTC11168-like maf gene set was present in 42.7% of isolates, with three genes, maf3 , maf4 and maf5 , being present in >80% of isolates. Mutagenesis of maf3 in C. jejuni strain NCTC11168 resulted in a reversible, non-motile phenotype. Motile revertants of this mutant had maf4 and maf7 in the ON phase variation state and/or possessed a single-nucleotide alteration in maf5 . These findings are indicative of specific maf genes being responsible for the addition or modification of major flagella glycans in large groups of C. jejuni strains and of redundant or compensatory gene functions.
Source: Microbiology
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001698
Authors: Lickson Munjoma, Christopher D. Bayliss
Institution: University of Leicester
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7157998678