The Role of Bacterial Thioredoxin in Acinetobacter baumannii Virulence and Maintenance of Cell-surface Properties

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dc.contributor.advisorArulanandam, Bernard P.
dc.contributor.authorMay, Holly C.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberCap, Andrew P.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberChambers, James P.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberGuentzel, M. Neal
dc.contributor.committeeMemberSeshu, Janakiram
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-12T15:40:12Z
dc.date.available2021-05-16
dc.date.available2024-02-12T15:40:12Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.descriptionThis item is available only to currently enrolled UTSA students, faculty or staff. To download, navigate to Log In in the top right-hand corner of this screen, then select Log in with my UTSA ID.
dc.description.abstractMulti-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has become one of the most prominent nosocomial infections around the globe. Various predispositions for infection have been noted but the most prevalent is being a patient in an intensive care unit (ICU). Infections are characterized by a large influx of neutrophils, which are required for the host to clear and survive infection. Previous studies in our lab have indicated that the redox protein thioredoxin plays a major role in A. baumannii infections. Thioredoxin, and the thioredoxin system, have previously been explored as novel antimicrobial targets. Multiple drugs already approved or tested by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) have been found to target the thioredoxin system and could be repurposed for this use. In these studies, we aimed to characterize the role of thioredoxin in A. baumannii virulence using a thioredoxin-null strain. First, we analyzed the physical characteristics of the mutant and then looked at genomic differences between the mutant and the WT. Next, we explored the role of thioredoxin in maintaining cell surface hydrophobicity and noted that changes in cell surface hydrophobicity were also seen in a second Gram-negative organism. Finally, we explored the role of secondary infection during A. baumannii challenge and utilized a thioredoxin inhibitor to explore the possibility of targeting the thioredoxin system of A. baumannii for anti-bacterial effects. These data indicate that thioredoxin is a virulence factor in A. baumannii pulmonary infections and that targeting the thioredoxin system in this bacterium could be a viable anti-bacterial option.
dc.description.departmentIntegrative Biology
dc.format.extent136 pages
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12588/4613
dc.languageen
dc.subjectAcinetobacter baumannii
dc.subjectCell surface hydrophobicity
dc.subjectThioredoxin
dc.subjectType four pili
dc.subject.classificationBiology
dc.subject.classificationMicrobiology
dc.titleThe Role of Bacterial Thioredoxin in Acinetobacter baumannii Virulence and Maintenance of Cell-surface Properties
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.dcmiText
dcterms.accessRightspq_closed
thesis.degree.departmentIntegrative Biology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Texas at San Antonio
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

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