Assessment of the impact of lipopolysaccharide from multidrug-resistant proteus on the expression of ZapA and UreR virulence genes of Proteus mirabilis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Proteus mirabilis is an opportunistic pathogen implicated in urinary tract infections, with virulence largely attributed to factors such as ZapA, a metalloprotease, and UreR, a regulator of urease activity. Lipopolysaccharides [LPS] are a vital ingredient of the outing Gram-negative bacteria membranes, functioning in both structural integrity and pathogenesis. However, the role of endogenous LPS for expressing the genes of virulence factors in P. mirabilis remains unclear. This study objected to assess the LPS extract from P. mirabilis on the expression of ZapA and UreR genes within P. mirabilis cells. LPS was isolated from cultured P. mirabilis using a hot phenol-water extraction method and applied to fresh bacterial cultures on different levels. Entire RNA was obscure, and expressing the ZapA and UreR quantified via qRT-PCR, with 16S rRNA used as the internal control. Comparative analysis between treated and untreated groups had achieved to investigate the LPS exposure on the target genes. Exposure to extracted LPS significantly led to an upregulation of ZapA and UreR genes expression. These findings suggest LPS may act as an autocrine or paracrine signaling molecule modulating virulence gene expression in P. mirabilis. The results demonstrate that LPS derived from P. mirabilis can modulate the core virulence-associating gene expression, ZapA and UreR, potentially influencing the pathogenicity of P. mirabilis.
Source: Wasit Journal of Pure sciences
DOI: 10.31185/wjps.841
Authors: Abeer Gazaa, Najeeb Hussen
Institutions: Ministry of Health, University of Anbar
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7166662584