Comparative Analysis of Locus of Enterocyte Effacement Pathogenicity Islands of Atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

The pathogenicity of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is linked to the locus of enterocyte effacement, or LEE, encoding a type III secretion system (T3SS) that directly transfers bacterial effector proteins into eukaryotic cells. Atypical diffusely adhering EPEC (DA-EPEC) strains that harbor homologues of the LEE but lack the EPEC adherence factor plasmid have been increasingly associated with outbreaks of diarrhea. In this study, we have completely sequenced and functionally characterized LEE pathogenicity islands derived from the clinical DA-EPEC isolates 3431 (O8:H-) and 0181 (O119:H9:K61). LEE3431 and LEE0181 exhibit genetic organization analogous to that of the prototype LEE(E2348/69). Genes constituting the T3SS apparatus are highly conserved. However, LEE-encoded effector proteins exhibit major differences. Transfer and functional expression of LEE0181 in an E. coli XL1 blue MR background demonstrated that LEE0181 contains all the information for signal transduction and pedestal formation.