Identification of motifs of Burkholderia pseudomallei BimA required for intracellular motility, actin binding, and actin polymerization.

Actin-based motility of the melioidosis pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei requires BimA (Burkholderia intracellular motility A). The mechanism by which BimA mediates actin assembly at the bacterial pole is ill-defined. Toward an understanding of the regions of B.

Actin-based motility of Burkholderia thailandensis requires a central acidic domain of BimA that recruits and activates the cellular Arp2/3 complex.

Burkholderia species use BimA for intracellular actin-based motility. Uniquely, Burkholderia thailandensis BimA harbors a central and acidic (CA) domain. The CA domain was required for actin-based motility, binding to the cellular Arp2/3 complex, and Arp2/3-dependent polymerization of actin monomers.

Prevalence and sequence diversity of a factor required for actin-based motility in natural populations of Burkholderia species.

Actin-based motility of the melioidosis pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei requires BimA. We report a high degree of conservation of bimA in 99 B. pseudomallei isolates from the area of endemicity.