{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:56:37Z","timestamp":1787028997621,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,15]],"date-time":"2026-02-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771113600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions","award":["7"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["7"]}]},{"name":"Open Project Program of Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis","award":["R2403"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R2403"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100013314","name":"111 Project","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["D18007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["D18007"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100013314","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012246","name":"Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012246","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae, KP) is a significant opportunistic pathogen responsible for both nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Bacterial adhesion is the critical initial step for host colonization and the establishment of disease. In this study, we utilized a mariner transposon mutagenesis system to construct a mutant library from the clinical KP strain KP20, identifying a mutant with significantly impaired epithelial cell adhesion due to an insertion in the uspF gene. Genetic knockout experiments confirmed that uspF deletion markedly reduced the adhesion to human airway epithelial cells (Calu-3) and downregulated the transcription of type III pili-encoding genes (mrkABDF). Furthermore, uspF deficiency compromised antioxidant stress and serum resistance and increased susceptibility to dendritic cell and macrophage phagocytosis. In vivo challenge experiments further demonstrated that uspF deletion significantly attenuated K. pneumoniae virulence in mice. These findings provide important insights into the molecular pathogenesis of K. pneumoniae and identify UspF as a potential target for therapeutic intervention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms14020478","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T14:09:54Z","timestamp":1771250994000},"page":"478","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["UspF Regulates Type III Pili-Mediated Adhesion, Oxidative Stress Resistance, and Virulence in Klebsiella pneumoniae"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Yinyan","family":"Yin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions for Nucleic Acid & Cell Fate Regulation (Yangzhou University), Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Interdisciplinary Center for Zoonoses and Biosafety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiran","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wangxin","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Basic Medical Sciences & School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, 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