Mapping of the Denitrification Pathway in Burkholderia thailandensis by Genome-Wide Mutant Profiling

Abstract

Burkholderia thailandensis is a soil-dwelling saprophyte that is often used as surrogate of the closely related pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei , the causative agent of melioidosis and a classified biowarfare agent. Both organisms are adapted to grow under oxygen-limited conditions in rice fields by generating energy through denitrification. Microoxic growth of B. pseudomallei is also considered essential for human infections. Here, we have used a Tn-Seq approach to identify the genes encoding the enzymes and regulators required for growth under denitrifying conditions. We show that a mutant that is defective in the conversion of N 2 O to N 2 , the last step in the denitrification process, is unaffected in microoxic growth but is severely impaired in biofilm formation, suggesting that N 2 O may play a role in biofilm dispersal. Our study identified novel targets for the development of therapeutic agents to treat meliodiosis.