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A review of protease secretion instability in Proteus mirabilis

Sérgio Olavo P. da Costa

Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, USP, Caixa Postal 4365, 01051 São Paulo, SP, Brasil

ABSTRACT

Proteus mirabilis secretes a single protease, an alkaline metallo-enzyme. Some physiological factors affecting the pattern of protease secretion in isolated clones were reported. More than hundred different clinical isolates have been tested for the ability to secrete protease. Some strains inherited the protease determinant as a stable trait (called stable strains). Other strains exhibited a quite unstable protease phenotype (designated unstable strains) with a loss of the protease production of up to 10% of the progeny colonies. Reversion of the protease-minus phenotype was never observed. Introduction of R-factors into protease-producing cells reduced the amount of protease-activity to about 50% suggesting an interference with the expression and/or secretion of the protease. Although several lines of data seems to indicate that the protease locus is extrachromosomally located, attempts to demonstrate a plasmid in several unstable strains has been failed. A model is presented which can explain the various findings.

Keywords: Protease secretion; Proteus mirabilis.

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