Disease relevance of purA

• A defect in the repression of the de novo purine biosynthetic enzymes was detected among purA mutants of Salmonella typhimurium [1].

High impact information on purA

• The gene for 2':3'-cyclic nucleotide 2'-phosphodiesterase (pde) was located between purA and argI at 135 min on the S. typhimurium linkage map [2].
• Of all strains compared, the delta purA mutant colonized and persisted in the Peyer's patches at the lowest level, whereas the delta htrA mutant colonized and persisted in the spleen at the lowest level [3].
• Strains harboring any of these mutations were attenuated when tested in BALB/c mice. purE strains were less attenuated than aroA or purA strains [4].

Biological context of purA

• Of transductional derivatives with nutritional requirements expected to reduce virulence, those with complete blocks at aroA (therefore aromatic-dependent) or at purA (therefore adenine-dependent) were non-virulent; no deaths from i.p. inocula of 10(6) or 10(7) cfu, respectively [5].

Anatomical context of purA

• Strains harboring both aroA and purA mutations together were ineffective vaccines when administered orally or intravenously even though they persisted in the livers and spleens of the mice for long periods after intravenous infection [4].

References