Identification of MrpI as the sole recombinase that regulates the phase variation of MR/P fimbria, a bladder colonization factor of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis

Abstract excerpt

Proteus mirabilis is a common cause of urinary tract infection (UTI) in individuals with structural abnormalities or long-term catheterization. The expression of mannose-resistant/Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbria is phase variable because of the inversion of a 251 bp DNA fragment that carries the promoter for the mrp operon. Previous studies have shown that mrpI, which is transcribed divergently from the mrp operon,...