Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Oct;31(5):161-195.
doi: 10.21315/mjms2024.31.5.12. Epub 2024 Oct 8.

Bioinformatics Analysis and Spatiotemporal Distribution of the fliC Gene and Its Protein Isolated from Escherichia coli-Infected Patients in Eastern Algeria

Abdenassar Harrar  1   2 , Rukman Awang Hamat  3 , Mohamed Abdelhafid Hamidechi  4
Affiliations

Bioinformatics Analysis and Spatiotemporal Distribution of the fliC Gene and Its Protein Isolated from Escherichia coli-Infected Patients in Eastern Algeria

Abdenassar Harrar et al. Malays J Med Sci. 2024 Oct.

Abstract

Background: The fliC locus in Escherichia coli primarily encodes flagellar (H) antigens. Exploring fliC sequence diversity will shed light on the mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity. This study examined the presence of fliC mutant strains of E. coli in infected patients from different age groups, sexes and sample types in eastern Algerian provinces over a span of 2 years.

Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study involved three provinces in eastern Algeria: i) Bordj Bou Arreridj, ii) Setif and iii) Batna. A total of 75 E. coli isolates were obtained from the University State Hospital Centre. Two types of analyses were conducted: i) a bioinformatics analysis of the protein sequences translated from the fliC genes, specifically the fliC flagellar sequences and ii) a multifactorial statistical analysis (multiple correspondence analysis [MCA]) of the population of infected patients, considering various parameters. The fliC protein sequences were aligned using the Multiple Alignment using Fast Fourier Transform (MAFFT) programme. The alignment results were then visualised using the MView programme. Finally, a phylogenetic tree was constructed using the maximum likelihood algorithm in MEGA 11 software.

Results: Bioinformatics analysis highlighted the strong conservation of the structures of the fliC protein sequences, especially at the two N- and C-terminal ends, and strong variability in the central zone. This remarkable fliC intersequence similarity is corroborated by the presence of protein motifs identified in the PROSITE protein motif database.

Conclusion: fliC mutations in E. coli were not detected in the clinical samples of patients from hospitals in the three Algerian Provinces. Our analysis revealed that all the samples exhibited characteristics of wild-type virulent bacteria without mutations. A multicentre study is warranted for epidemiological surveillance of fliC mutant strains for future preventive measures.

Keywords: Escherichia coli; fliC; multifactorial statistical analysis; mutation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A portion of the multiple alignment of the 5′ region of the fliC gene sequence
Figure 2
Figure 2
A portion of the multiple alignment of the core area of the fliC gene sequences
Figure 3
Figure 3
A portion of the multiple alignment of the 3′ region of the fliC gene sequence
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic representation of the distribution of the main motifs found on the fliC protein using the PROSITE database
Figure 5
Figure 5
Phylogenetic tree of the fliC gene from the pathogen E. coli rooted by the fliC gene of S. enterica
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nedeljkovic M, Sastre DE, Sundberg EJ. Bacterial flagellar filament: a supramolecular multifunctional nanostructure. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(14) doi: 10.3390/ijms22147521. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kreutzberger MAB, Sobe RC, Sauder AB, Chatterjee S, Pena A, Wang F, et al. Flagellin outer domain dimerization modulates motility in pathogenic and soil bacteria from viscous environments. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):1422. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29069-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Reid SD, Herbelin CJ, Bumbaugh AC, Selander RK, Whittam TS. Parallel evolution of virulence in pathogenic Escherichia coli. Nature. 2000;406(6791):64–67. doi: 10.1038/35017546. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dashti AA, Jadaon MM, Abdulsamad AM, Dashti HM. Heat treatment of bacteria: a simple method of DNA extraction for molecular techniques. Kuwait Med J. 2009;41(2):117–122.
    1. Nabti LZ, Sahli F, Radji N, Mezaghcha W, Semara L, Aberkane S, et al. High prevalence of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli in urine samples from inpatients and outpatients at a tertiary care hospital in Setif, Algeria. Microb Drug Resist. 2019;25(3):386–393. doi: 10.1089/mdr.2018.0314. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources