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Coordinated phenotype switching with large-scale chromosome flip-flop inversion observed in bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:E1647-56. [PMID: 22645353 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1204307109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome inversions are ubiquitous in organisms ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Typical examples can be identified by comparing the genomes of two or more closely related organisms, where genome inversion footprints are clearly visible. Although the evolutionary implications of this phenomenon are huge, little is known about the function and biological meaning of this process. Here, we report our findings on a bacterium that generates a reversible, large-scale inversion of its chromosome (about half of its total genome) at high frequencies of up to once every four generations. This inversion switches on or off bacterial phenotypes, including colony morphology, antibiotic susceptibility, hemolytic activity, and expression of dozens of genes. Quantitative measurements and mathematical analyses indicate that this reversible switching is stochastic but self-organized so as to maintain two forms of stable cell populations (i.e., small colony variant, normal colony variant) as a bet-hedging strategy. Thus, this heritable and reversible genome fluctuation seems to govern the bacterial life cycle; it has a profound impact on the course and outcomes of bacterial infections.
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Pharmacodynamic evaluation of the activity of antibiotics against hemin- and menadione-dependent small-colony variants of Staphylococcus aureus in models of extracellular (broth) and intracellular (THP-1 monocytes) infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2012; 56:3700-11. [PMID: 22564838 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00285-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variants (SCVs) persist intracellularly, which may contribute to persistence/recurrence of infections and antibiotic failure. We have studied the intracellular fate of menD and hemB mutants (corresponding to menadione- and hemin-dependent SCVs, respectively) of the COL methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain and the antibiotic pharmacodynamic profile against extracellular (broth) and intracellular (human THP-1 monocytes) bacteria. Compared to the parental strain, SCVs showed slower extracellular growth (restored upon medium supplementation with menadione or hemin), reduced phagocytosis, and, for the menD SCV, lower intracellular counts at 24 h postinfection. Against extracellular bacteria, daptomycin, gentamicin, rifampin, moxifloxacin, and oritavancin showed similar profiles of activity against all strains, with a static effect obtained at concentrations close to their MICs and complete eradication as maximal effect. In contrast, vancomycin was not bactericidal against SCVs. Against intracellular bacteria, concentration-effect curves fitted sigmoidal regressions for vancomycin, daptomycin, gentamicin, and rifampin (with maximal effects lower than a 2-log decrease in CFU) but biphasic regressions (with a maximal effect greater than a 3-log decrease in CFU) for moxifloxacin and oritavancin, suggesting a dual mode of action against intracellular bacteria. For all antibiotics, these curves were indistinguishable between the strains investigated, except for the menD mutant, which systematically showed a lower amplitude of the concentration-effect response, with markedly reduced minimal efficacy (due to slower growth) but no change in maximal efficacy. The data therefore show that the maximal efficacies of antibiotics are similar against normal-phenotype and menadione- and hemin-dependent strains despite their different intracellular fates, with oritavancin, and to some extent moxifloxacin, being the most effective.
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Onyango LA, Dunstan RH, Gottfries J, von Eiff C, Roberts TK. Effect of low temperature on growth and ultra-structure of Staphylococcus spp. PLoS One 2012; 7:e29031. [PMID: 22291884 PMCID: PMC3265459 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2011] [Accepted: 11/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of temperature fluctuation is an important factor in bacterial growth especially for pathogens such as the staphylococci that have to remain viable during potentially harsh and prolonged transfer conditions between hosts. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and S. lugdunensis when exposed to low temperature (4°C) for prolonged periods, and how this factor affected their subsequent growth, colony morphology, cellular ultra-structure, and amino acid composition in the non-cytoplasmic hydrolysate fraction. Clinical isolates were grown under optimal conditions and then subjected to 4°C conditions for a period of 8 wks. Cold-stressed and reference control samples were assessed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to identify potential ultra-structural changes. To determine changes in amino acid composition, cells were fractured to remove the lipid and cytoplasmic components and the remaining structural components were hydrolysed. Amino acid profiles for the hydrolysis fraction were then analysed for changes by using principal component analysis (PCA). Exposure of the three staphylococci to prolonged low temperature stress resulted in the formation of increasing proportions of small colony variant (SCV) phenotypes. TEM revealed that SCV cells had significantly thicker and more diffuse cell-walls than their corresponding WT samples for both S. aureus and S. epidermidis, but the changes were not significant for S. lugdunensis. Substantial species-specific alterations in the amino acid composition of the structural hydrolysate fraction were also observed in the cold-treated cells. The data indicated that the staphylococci responded over prolonged periods of cold-stress treatment by transforming into SCV populations. The observed ultra-structural and amino acid changes were proposed to represent response mechanisms for staphylococcal survival amidst hostile conditions, thus maintaining the viability of the species until favourable conditions arise again.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A. Onyango
- Environmental and Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - R. Hugh Dunstan
- Environmental and Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Johan Gottfries
- Department of Chemistry, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Christof von Eiff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Timothy K. Roberts
- Environmental and Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
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Thymidine auxotrophic Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variant endocarditis and left ventricular assist device infection. J Clin Microbiol 2012; 50:1102-5. [PMID: 22205806 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01170-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a thymidine-dependent small-colony variant of Staphylococcus aureus associated with left ventricular assist device infection and prosthetic valve and pacemaker endocarditis.
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55
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Emerging Pathogenetic Mechanisms of the Implant-Related Osteomyelitis by Staphylococcus Aureus. Int J Artif Organs 2011; 34:781-8. [DOI: 10.5301/ijao.5000052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/17/2011] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Implant-related osteomyelitis is a severe and deep infection of bone that arises and develops all around an implant. Staphylococcus aureus is the first cause of osteomyelitis, whether implant-related or not. Bone is an optimal substratum for S. aureus, since this bacterium expresses various adhesins by which can adhere to bone proteins and to the biomaterial surfaces coated with the proteins of the host extracellular matrix. S. aureus is able not only to colonize bone tissues, but also to invade and disrupt them by entering bone cells and inducing cell death and osteolysis. Here we illustrate the pathogenetic mechanisms that can explain how the osteomyelitis sets in and develops around an implant.
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56
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Haley KP, Skaar EP. A battle for iron: host sequestration and Staphylococcus aureus acquisition. Microbes Infect 2011; 14:217-27. [PMID: 22123296 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2011.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2011] [Revised: 10/31/2011] [Accepted: 11/02/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The use of iron as an enzymatic cofactor is pervasive in biological systems. Consequently most living organisms, including pathogenic bacteria, require iron to survive and replicate. To combat infection vertebrates have evolved sophisticated iron sequestration systems against which, pathogenic bacteria have concomitantly evolved equally elaborate iron acquisition mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn P Haley
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1161 21st Ave., South, A5102 MCN, Nashville, TN 37232-2363, USA
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Abstract
Persistent or difficult-to-treat Staphylococcus aureus infections in animals and humans may be related to small colony variants (SCVs) that can hide inside host cells and modulate host defenses. S. aureus SCVs have gained much attention in human medicine but have been underestimated and overlooked in veterinary medicine. Recently, an SCV isolated from a dairy cow with a history of chronic mastitis was shown to possess similar phenotypic and transcriptomic properties to those of human SCVs. SCVs form small, colorless, non-hemolytic colonies after 48 h, are only slowly coagulase positive, fail to ferment mannitol, and can revert to the parental phenotype. The phenotype of SCVs is mostly related to alterations in hemin and/or menadione biosynthesis or to thymidine deficiency. Transcriptomic analysis of SCVs shows up-regulation of genes involved in glycolytic and arginine-deiminase pathways, capsular biosynthesis; increased sigma B activity; and down-regulation of genes for α-hemolysin, coagulase and effector molecule RNA III of the global virulence regulator Agr. Similar results are reported at the protein level. SCVs are less virulent but successful persisters in infection models. SCVs persist longer and at higher numbers within non-phagocytes than do their parents. SCVs survive within spacious vacuoles up to 24 h within cultured bovine mammary epithelial cells, likely due to up-regulation of protective mechanisms that counteract the lethal acidic environment of the phagolysosome. Persistence of SCVs within host cells may explain failures in antimicrobial therapy and vaccinations.
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Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus has been recognized as an important human pathogen for more than 100 years. S aureus has been able to adapt and evolve in terms of its resistance traits and virulence factors; it is among the most important causes of human infections in the twenty-first century. Rapid molecular identification in the clinical microbiology laboratory of these resistance and virulence factors expressed by S aureus will play an important role in the future in decreasing the morbidity and mortality of infections. This article addresses the emerging aspects of infections caused by S aureus, including microbiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, and immunity.
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Kontnik R, Crawford JM, Clardy J. Exploiting a global regulator for small molecule discovery in Photorhabdus luminescens. ACS Chem Biol 2010; 5:659-65. [PMID: 20524642 DOI: 10.1021/cb100117k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Bacterially produced small molecules demonstrate a remarkable range of structural and functional diversity and include some of our most useful biological probes and therapeutic agents. Annotations of bacterial genomes reveal a large gap between the number of known small molecules and the number of biosynthetic genes/loci that could produce such small molecules, a gap that most likely originates from tight regulatory control by the producing organism. This study coupled a global transcriptional regulator, HexA, to secondary metabolite production in Photorhabdus luminescens, a member of the Gammaproteobacteria that participates in a complex symbiosis with nematode worms and insect larvae. HexA is a LysR-type transcriptional repressor, and knocking it out to create a P. luminescens DeltahexA mutant led to dramatic upregulation of biosynthesized small molecules. Use of this mutant expanded a family of stilbene-derived small molecules, which were known to play important roles in the symbiosis, from three members to at least nine members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee Kontnik
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Jason M. Crawford
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Jon Clardy
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
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Altered growth, pigmentation, and antimicrobial susceptibility properties of Staphylococcus aureus due to loss of the major cold shock gene cspB. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2010; 54:2283-90. [PMID: 20368405 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01786-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
An insertional mutation made in the major cold shock gene cspB in Staphylococcus aureus strain COL, a methicillin-resistant clinical isolate, yielded a mutant that displayed a reduced capacity to respond to cold shock and many phenotypic characteristics of S. aureus small-colony variants: a growth defect at 37 degrees C, a reduction in pigmentation, and altered levels of susceptibility to many antimicrobials. In particular, a cspB null mutant displayed increased resistance to aminoglycosides, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and paraquat and increased susceptibility to daptomycin, teicoplanin, and methicillin. With the exception of the increased susceptibility to methicillin, which was due to a complete loss of the type I staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element, these properties were restored to wild-type levels by complementation when cspB was expressed in trans. Taken together, our results link a stress response protein (CspB) of S. aureus to important phenotypic properties that include resistance to certain antimicrobials.
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61
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Advantage of upregulation of succinate dehydrogenase in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. J Bacteriol 2010; 192:2385-94. [PMID: 20207757 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01472-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that various tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle genes, particularly the succinate dehydrogenase genes (sdhCAB), are upregulated in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. To better study the role of this enzyme complex, an sdhCAB deletion mutant (Deltasdh) was constructed. Compared to the wild type (wt) the mutant was impaired in planktonic growth under aerobic conditions, excreted acetic acid could not be reused and accumulated continuously, succinate was excreted and found in the culture supernatant, and metabolome analysis with cells grown in chemically defined medium revealed reduced uptake/metabolism of some amino acids from the growth medium. Moreover, the mutant was able to counteract the steadily decreasing extracellular pH by increased urease activity. The addition of fumarate to the growth medium restored the wt phenotype. The mutant showed a small-colony variant (SCV)-like phenotype, a slight increase in resistance to various aminoglycoside antibiotics, and decreased pigmentation. The decreased growth under aerobic conditions is due to the interruption of the TCA cycle (indicated by the accumulation of succinate and acetic acid) with the consequence that many fewer reduction equivalents (NADH and FADH2) can fuel the respiratory chain. The results indicate that the TCA cycle is required for acetate and amino acid catabolism; its upregulation under biofilm conditions is advantageous under such nutrient- and oxygen-limited conditions.
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62
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Bogaerts A, Beets I, Temmerman L, Schoofs L, Verleyen P. Proteome changes of Caenorhabditis elegans upon a Staphylococcus aureus infection. Biol Direct 2010; 5:11. [PMID: 20163716 PMCID: PMC2834640 DOI: 10.1186/1745-6150-5-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2010] [Accepted: 02/17/2010] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The success of invertebrates throughout evolution is an excellent illustration of the efficiency of their defence strategies. Caenorhabditis elegans has proven to be an appropriate model for transcriptome studies of host-pathogen interactions. The aim of this paper is to complement this knowledge by investigating the worm's response to a Staphylococcus aureus infection through a 2-dimensional differential proteomics approach. Results Different types of growth media in combination with either E. coli OP50 or Staphylococcus aureus were tested for an effect on the worm's lifespan. LB agar was chosen and C. elegans samples were collected 1 h, 4 h, 8 h and 24 h post S. aureus infection or E. coli incubation. Proteomics analyses resulted in the identification of 130 spots corresponding to a total of 108 differentially expressed proteins. Conclusions Exploring four time-points discloses a dynamic insight of the reaction against a gram-positive infection at the level of the whole organism. The remarkable upregulation after 8 h and 24 h of many enzymes involved in the citric acid cycle might illustrate the cost of fighting off an infection. Intriguing is the downregulation of chaperone molecules, which are presumed to serve a protective role. A comparison with a similar experiment in which C. elegans was infected with the gram-negative Aeromonas hydrophila reveals that merely 9% of the identified spots, some of which even exhibiting an opposite regulation, are present in both studies. Hence, our findings emphasise the complexity and pathogen-specificity of the worm's immune response and form a firm basis for future functional research. Reviewers This article was reviewed by Itai Yanai, Dieter Wolf and Torben Luebke (nominated by Walter Lutz).
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Affiliation(s)
- Annelies Bogaerts
- Research Group of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, Leuven, Belgium.
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63
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Nickerson N, Ip J, Passos DT, McGavin MJ. Comparison of Staphopain A (ScpA) and B (SspB) precursor activation mechanisms reveals unique secretion kinetics of proSspB (Staphopain B), and a different interaction with its cognate Staphostatin, SspC. Mol Microbiol 2010; 75:161-77. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06974.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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64
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Small-colony variant selection as a survival strategy for Staphylococcus aureus in the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Appl Environ Microbiol 2009; 75:6910-2. [PMID: 19717621 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01211-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Previously it has been demonstrated that Staphylococcus aureus is sensitive toward Pseudomonas-secreted exotoxins, which preferentially target the electron transport chain in staphylococci. Here it is shown that a subpopulation of S. aureus survives these respiratory toxins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by selection of the small-colony variant (SCV) phenotype. Purified pyocyanin alone causes the same effect. A hemB mutant of S. aureus survives cocultivation with P. aeruginosa without a decrease in CFU.
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65
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Brady RA, Calhoun JH, Leid JG, Shirtliff ME. Infections of Orthopaedic Implants and Devices. SPRINGER SERIES ON BIOFILMS 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-68119-9_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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66
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Zannoni D, Borsetti F, Harrison JJ, Turner RJ. The bacterial response to the chalcogen metalloids Se and Te. Adv Microb Physiol 2007; 53:1-72. [PMID: 17707143 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-2911(07)53001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Microbial metabolism of inorganics has been the subject of interest since the 1970s when it was recognized that bacteria are involved in the transformation of metal compounds in the environment. This area of research is generally referred to as bioinorganic chemistry or microbial biogeochemistry. Here, we overview the way the chalcogen metalloids Se and Te interact with bacteria. As a topic of considerable interest for basic and applied research, bacterial processing of tellurium and selenium oxyanions has been reviewed a few times over the past 15 years. Oddly, this is the first time these compounds have been considered together and their similarities and differences highlighted. Another aspect touched on for the first time by this review is the bacterial response in cell-cell or cell-surface aggregates (biofilms) against the metalloid oxyanions. Finally, in this review we have attempted to rationalize the considerable amount of literature available on bacterial resistance to the toxic metalloids tellurite and selenite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Zannoni
- Department of Biology, Unit of General Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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67
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Geisinger E, Adhikari RP, Jin R, Ross HF, Novick RP. Inhibition of rot translation by RNAIII, a key feature of agr function. Mol Microbiol 2006; 61:1038-48. [PMID: 16879652 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05292.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
RNAIII is a 514 nt regulatory RNA that is the effector molecule of the staphylococcal agr quorum-sensing system, regulating a large set of virulence and other accessory genes at the level of transcription. RNAIII was discovered nearly 20 years ago and we long ago hypothesized that it would function by regulating the synthesis or activity of one or more intermediary transcription factors. We have finally confirmed this hypothesis, showing that Staphylococcus aureus RNAIII regulates the synthesis of a major pleiotropic transcription factor, Rot, by blocking its translation. RNAIII has a complex secondary structure with several stable hairpins that have highly C-rich end loops, unusual in an AT-rich organism. We noted that these loops are complementary to two G-rich stem loops of the rot mRNA translation initiation region (TIR). Pairing of the complementary RNAs would be predicted to occlude the rot Shine-Dalgarno (SD) site and to block rot translation. Through a combination of transcriptional and translational fusions and Northern and Western blot hybridization analyses, we show that RNAIII does, indeed, block rot translation. Through alterations in the C-rich loops of RNAIII and the G-rich loops of rot, we show that the sequences of these loops are critical for inhibition of rot translation and suggest that this inhibition is affected by pairing between the complementary stem loops, followed by the cleavage of rot mRNA. We propose that the RNAIII-rot mRNA interaction plays a key role in agr regulation of staphylococcal virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Geisinger
- Department of Microbiology, Skirball Institute, NYU Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
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68
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Medina LFC, Hertz PF, Stefani V, Henriques JAP, Zanotto-Filho A, Brandelli A. Aminonaphthoquinone induces oxidative stress inStaphylococcus aureus. Biochem Cell Biol 2006; 84:720-7. [PMID: 17167535 DOI: 10.1139/o06-087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The biological activity of 5-amino-8-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (ANQ) on Staphylococcus aureus was investigated in comparison with the unsubstituted 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ). Complete inhibition of microbial growth was observed with ANQ and NQ at 50 and 10 µg/mL, respectively. The antibacterial effect of naphthoquinones decreased in the presence of sodium ascorbate, but the superoxide scavenger 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzene-disulfonic acid (Tiron) was able to protect S. aureus only from the harmful effect of ANQ. Naphthoquinones blocked oxygen uptake and induced cyanide-insensitive oxygen consumption. When combining rotenone or salicylhydroxamic acid with ANQ or NQ, a slight decrease in respiratory activity was observed. Assays in the presence of naphthoquinones induced an increase of lipid peroxidation in S. aureus, as determined by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. These results showed that 1,4-naphthoquinones effectively act as electron acceptors and induce an increase in reactive oxygen species that are toxic to S. aureus cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- L F C Medina
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Microbiologia Aplicada, Departamento de Ciência de Alimentos, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, Brasil
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69
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Moisan H, Brouillette E, Jacob CL, Langlois-Bégin P, Michaud S, Malouin F. Transcription of virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variants isolated from cystic fibrosis patients is influenced by SigB. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:64-76. [PMID: 16352822 PMCID: PMC1317593 DOI: 10.1128/jb.188.1.64-76.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variants (SCVs) are believed to account in part for the persistence of S. aureus during chronic infections. Little is understood about the gene expression profile that may explain the phenotype and distinguish SCVs from prototype S. aureus strains. In this study, DNA array transcriptional profiles of clinical SCVs isolated from the airways of cystic fibrosis patients were obtained and compared to those obtained from a laboratory-derived SCV strain (i.e., a respiratory-deficient hemB mutant) and prototype S. aureus strains. The genes commonly up-regulated in both hemB and clinical SCVs were found to be implicated in fermentation and glycolysis pathways. The well-known virulence regulator agr was not activated in SCVs, and such strains had low levels of alpha-toxin (hla) gene expression. Clinical SCVs also had a transcriptional signature of their own. Of striking interest is that many genes, most of them under the positive control of the alternate sigma factor SigB, were specifically up-regulated and differed in that way from that seen in prototype S. aureus and the hemB mutant. Since SigB influences up-regulation of adhesin type genes while indirectly down-regulating exoproteins and toxins, we evaluated the internalization and persistence of SCVs in mammalian cells. Results showed that clinical SCVs persisted much more efficiently in cells than the hemB and prototype strains and that a sigB mutant was a poor persister. Thus, it appears that the agr locus plays a minor role in the regulation of the virulon of SCVs, unlike SigB, which may have a key role in intracellular persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Moisan
- Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard Université, Sherbrooke J1K 2R1, QC, Canada
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70
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von Eiff C, McNamara P, Becker K, Bates D, Lei XH, Ziman M, Bochner BR, Peters G, Proctor RA. Phenotype microarray profiling of Staphylococcus aureus menD and hemB mutants with the small-colony-variant phenotype. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:687-93. [PMID: 16385058 PMCID: PMC1347289 DOI: 10.1128/jb.188.2.687-693.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Standard biochemical tests have revealed that hemin and menadione auxotrophic Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variants (SCVs) exhibit multiple phenotypic changes. To provide a more complete analysis of the SCV phenotype, two genetically defined mutants with a stable SCV phenotype were comprehensively tested. These mutants, generated via mutations in menD or hemB that yielded menadione and hemin auxotrophs, were subjected to phenotype microarray (PM) analysis of over 1,500 phenotypes (including utilization of different carbon, nitrogen, phosphate, and sulfur sources; growth stimulation or inhibition by amino acids and other nutrients, osmolytes, and metabolic inhibitors; and susceptibility to antibiotics). Compared to parent strain COL, the hemB mutant was defective in utilization of a variety of carbon sources, including Krebs cycle intermediates and compounds that ultimately generate ATP via electron transport. The phenotype of the menD mutant was similar to that of the hemB mutant, but the defects in carbon metabolism were more pronounced than those seen with the hemB mutant. In both mutant strains, hexose phosphates and other carbohydrates that provide ATP in the absence of electron transport stimulated growth. Other phenotypes of SCV mutants, such as hypersensitivity to sodium selenite, sodium tellurite, and sodium nitrite, were also uncovered by the PM analysis. Key results of the PM analysis were confirmed in independent growth studies and by using Etest strips for susceptibility testing. PM technology is a new and efficient technology for assessing cellular phenotypes in S. aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christof von Eiff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of Münster, Domagkstrasse 10, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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71
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Heinemann M, Kümmel A, Ruinatscha R, Panke S. In silico genome-scale reconstruction and validation of the Staphylococcus aureus metabolic network. Biotechnol Bioeng 2006; 92:850-64. [PMID: 16155945 DOI: 10.1002/bit.20663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A genome-scale metabolic model of the Gram-positive, facultative anaerobic opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus N315 was constructed based on current genomic data, literature, and physiological information. The model comprises 774 metabolic processes representing approximately 23% of all protein-coding regions. The model was extensively validated against experimental observations and it correctly predicted main physiological properties of the wild-type strain, such as aerobic and anaerobic respiration and fermentation. Due to the frequent involvement of S. aureus in hospital-acquired bacterial infections combined with its increasing antibiotic resistance, we also investigated the clinically relevant phenotype of small colony variants and found that the model predictions agreed with recent findings of proteome analyses. This indicates that the model is useful in assisting future experiments to elucidate the interrelationship of bacterial metabolism and resistance. To help directing future studies for novel chemotherapeutic targets, we conducted a large-scale in silico gene deletion study that identified 158 essential intracellular reactions. A more detailed analysis showed that the biosynthesis of glycans and lipids is rather rigid with respect to circumventing gene deletions, which should make these areas particularly interesting for antibiotic development. The combination of this stoichiometric model with transcriptomic and proteomic data should allow a new quality in the analysis of clinically relevant organisms and a more rationalized system-level search for novel drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Heinemann
- Bioprocess Laboratory, Institute of Process Engineering, ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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72
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Samuelsen O, Haukland HH, Kahl BC, von Eiff C, Proctor RA, Ulvatne H, Sandvik K, Vorland LH. Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants are resistant to the antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin B. J Antimicrob Chemother 2005; 56:1126-9. [PMID: 16287983 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dki385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine whether Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants (SCVs) are resistant to the antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin B. To assess if deficiency in transmembrane potential, a common characteristic of SCVs that are haemin- or menadione-auxotrophs, affects the uptake of the peptide into the bacterial cytoplasm. METHODS A broth microdilution technique was used for susceptibility testing to determine the MIC of lactoferricin B for SCVs with three different auxotrophisms (haemin, menadione or thymidine) and their isogenic parent strains. Both clinical isolates and genetically defined mutants were used. The internalization of lactoferricin B in a hemB mutant and the respective parent strain was studied using transmission electron microscopy and immunogold labelling. RESULTS All SCVs showed reduced susceptibility to lactoferricin B irrespective of their auxotrophy compared with their isogenic parent strains. The MIC for all SCVs was >256 mg/L, whereas the MICs for the parent strains ranged from 16-256 mg/L. Surprisingly, the hemB mutant contained significantly more lactoferricin B intracellularly than the respective parent strain. CONCLUSIONS The resistance mechanism of SCVs towards the antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin B is presumably caused by the metabolic changes present in SCVs rather than by a changed transmembrane potential of SCVs or reduced uptake of the peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orjan Samuelsen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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73
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Wetzstein HG. Comparative mutant prevention concentrations of pradofloxacin and other veterinary fluoroquinolones indicate differing potentials in preventing selection of resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2005; 49:4166-73. [PMID: 16189094 PMCID: PMC1251556 DOI: 10.1128/aac.49.10.4166-4173.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2005] [Revised: 07/01/2005] [Accepted: 07/15/2005] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pradofloxacin (PRA) is an 8-cyano-fluoroquinolone (FQ) being developed to treat bacterial infections in dogs and cats. Its mutant prevention concentrations (MPC) were determined for Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 at 0.225 microg/ml, and for Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 at 0.55 microg/ml. At drug concentrations equal to or above the MPC, growth (implying selective clonal expansion) of first-step FQ-resistant variants, naturally present in large bacterial populations, was inhibited. MPC(90) derived from 10 clinical isolates each of E. coli and Staphylococcus intermedius, the latter species being of greater clinical relevance than S. aureus in companion-animal medicine, amounted to 0.2 to 0.225 and 0.30 to 0.35 microg/ml, respectively. MPCs of other veterinary FQs were assessed to determine relative in vitro potencies. The MPCs of marbofloxacin, enrofloxacin, danofloxacin, sarafloxacin, orbifloxacin, and difloxacin were 1.2-, 1.4-, 2.3-, 2.4-, 5-, and 7-fold higher than the MPC of PRA for E. coli ATCC 8739, and 6-, 6-, 19-, 15-, 15-, and 31-fold higher than the MPC of PRA for S. aureus ATCC 6538, respectively. MPC curves revealed a pronounced heterogeneity in susceptibility within populations of > or =4 x 10(9) CFU employed, extending to 10-fold above the MICs. The duration of incubation and, for S. aureus, inoculum density profoundly affected the MPCs. With appropriate dosing, PRA may combine high therapeutic efficacy with a high potential for restricting the selection for FQ resistance under field conditions in the species analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- H-G Wetzstein
- Bayer HealthCare AG, Animal Health Division, Leverkusen, Germany.
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74
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Robertson JM, J. Robertson PK, Lawton LA. A comparison of the effectiveness of TiO2 photocatalysis and UVA photolysis for the destruction of three pathogenic micro-organisms. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2005.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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75
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Ziebuhr W, Xiao K, Coulibaly B, Schwarz R, Dandekar T. Pharmacogenomic strategies against resistance development in microbial infections. Pharmacogenomics 2004; 5:361-79. [PMID: 15165173 DOI: 10.1517/14622416.5.4.361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
There are several promising new strategies against resistance development in microbial infections. This paper discusses typical experimental and bioinformatical strategies to study the impact of infectious challenges on host–pathogen interaction, followed by several novel approaches and sources for new pharmaceutical strategies against resistance development. Genomics reveals promising new targets by providing a better understanding of cellular pathways, through the identification of new pathways, and by identifying new intervention areas, such as phospholipids, glycolipids, innate immunity, and antibiotic peptides. Additional antibiotic resources come from new genomes, including marine organisms, lytic phages and probiotic strategies. A system perspective regards all interactions between the host, pathogen and environment to develop new pharmacogenomic strategies against resistance development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilma Ziebuhr
- Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Würzburg, Germany
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76
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Schaaff F, Bierbaum G, Baumert N, Bartmann P, Sahl HG. Mutations are involved in emergence of aminoglycoside-induced small colony variants of Staphylococcus aureus. Int J Med Microbiol 2004; 293:427-35. [PMID: 14760974 DOI: 10.1078/1438-4221-00282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants (SCVs) occur frequently after local treatment with aminoglycosides and cause persistent as well as recurrent infections. So far, the molecular mechanism of the emergence of SCVs is not understood and regulatory as well as genetic mechanisms seem conceivable. To screen for possible mutations, the hemin biosynthetic gene cluster of a gentamicin-induced SCV was sequenced and was found to contain a deletion in the gene hemH. To further assess the influence of a high mutation rate on the development of SCVs, we tested the emergence of SCVs in a strain that had been inactivated in the DNA proofreading enzyme MutS. In the mutant, spontaneous SCVs emerged 556-fold more frequently than in the parent strain. By incubation in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of gentamicin, the SCV frequency in the parent strain could be increased to 9.7 x 10(-6), whereas it remained rather stable in the mutant (1.8 x 10(-5)). Eighty percent of the gentamicin-induced SCVs were hemin auxotrophic in contrast to only 20% of the spontaneous SCVs which may explain the large proportion of hemin auxotrophs among clinical SCVs from patients previously treated with aminoglycosides. Additionally, a clinical S. aureus SCV isolate with a mutator phenotype, indicated by the generation of rifampicin-resistant mutants at a 16-fold higher frequency than in the reference strain S. aureus NCTC 8325, was characterized. The results demonstrate that a high mutation rate favours the emergence of SCVs, and suggest that mutations in general play an important role in the development of SCVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Schaaff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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77
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Kohler C, von Eiff C, Peters G, Proctor RA, Hecker M, Engelmann S. Physiological characterization of a heme-deficient mutant of Staphylococcus aureus by a proteomic approach. J Bacteriol 2004; 185:6928-37. [PMID: 14617657 PMCID: PMC262702 DOI: 10.1128/jb.185.23.6928-6937.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) protein gel electrophoresis technique combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry was used for identification of proteins whose levels were changed by a mutation in hemB. Cytoplasmic protein extracts obtained from the mutant and the wild type (strain COL) at different stages of growth in tryptone soya broth (exponential, transitional, and stationary growth phases) were separated on 2D protein gels. Comparison of the 2D patterns of the protein extracts of the two strains revealed major differences. Because the electron transport chain of the mutant is interrupted due to the deficiency of heme, this organism should be unable to use oxygen or nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor. Consistent with this hypothesis, proteins involved in the glycolytic pathway and related pathways (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, enolase, and phosphoglycerate kinase) and in fermentation pathways (lactate dehydrogenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and pyruvate formate lyase) were induced in exponentially growing cells of the mutant. These results strongly indicate that the hemB mutant generates ATP from glucose or fructose only by substrate phosphorylation. Analyses of the fermentation reactions showed that the main product was lactate. Although pyruvate formate lyase (Pfl) and pyruvate dehydrogenase were present, neither ethanol nor acetate was detected in significant amounts. Presumably, Pfl was not activated in the presence of oxygen, and pyruvate dehydrogenase might have very low activity. Transcriptional analysis of citB, encoding the aconitase, revealed that the activity of the citrate cycle enzymes was down-regulated in the hemB mutant. The arginine deiminase pathway was also induced, and it could provide ATP as well. Furthermore, the amounts of most of the extracellular virulence factors were significantly reduced by a mutation in hemB, which is consistent with previous reports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Kohler
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Universität Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
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78
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Baumert N, von Eiff C, Schaaff F, Peters G, Proctor RA, Sahl HG. Physiology and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants. Microb Drug Resist 2003; 8:253-60. [PMID: 12523621 DOI: 10.1089/10766290260469507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Small colony variants (SCV) are slow-growing subpopulations with altered metabolism and reduced antibiotic susceptibility which, in the case of Staphylococcus aureus, can cause persisting and recurrent infections. We studied four SCVs and their corresponding parent strains: one clinical strain pair, one menaquinone-deficient spontaneous mutant, and two constructed mutants obtained by inactivation of hemB in S. aureus 8325-4 and COL, respectively. SCVs growing in chemically defined medium (CDM) with glucose limitation and enhanced buffering capacity were found to generate deltapsi of -120 to -140 mV, which is comparable to the parent strains. However, glucose is consumed inefficiently with small growth yields. In contrast to wild-type strains, deltapsi dropped immediately to values below -100 mV when glucose expired and other nutrients such as acetate and lactate did not allow for further growth. Accordingly, the sensitivity of SCVs toward antibiotics known to be taken up through deltapsi, such as aminoglycosides, dropped 10- to 30-fold when compared to the parent strain under routine MIC determination conditions. When growing in CDM, the susceptibility of SCVs varied according to the magnitude of deltapsi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Baumert
- Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie der Universität Bonn, D-53105 Bonn, Germany
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79
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Abstract
The accessory genes of Staphylococcus aureus, including those involved in pathogenesis, are controlled by a complex regulatory network that includes at least four two-component systems, one of which, agr, is a quorum sensor, an alternative sigma factor and a large set of transcription factors, including at least two of the superantigen genes, tst and seb. These regulatory genes are hypothesized to act in a time- and population density-dependent manner to integrate signals received from the external environment with the internal metabolic machinery of the cell, in order to achieve the production of particular subsets of accessory/virulence factors at the time and in quantities that are appropriate to the needs of the organism at any given location. From the standpoint of pathogenesis, the regulatory agenda is presumably tuned to particular sites in the host organism. To address this hypothesis, it will be necessary to understand in considerable detail the regulatory interactions among the organism's numerous controlling systems. This review is an attempt to integrate a large body of data into the beginnings of a model that will hopefully help to guide research towards a full-scale test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard P Novick
- Program in Molecular Pathogenesis, Skirball Institute, Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 10016, USA.
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80
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Jonsson IM, von Eiff C, Proctor RA, Peters G, Rydén C, Tarkowski A. Virulence of a hemB mutant displaying the phenotype of a Staphylococcus aureus small colony variant in a murine model of septic arthritis. Microb Pathog 2003; 34:73-9. [PMID: 12623275 DOI: 10.1016/s0882-4010(02)00208-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Persistence of Staphylococcus aureus during invasive infections has been associated with a small-colony variant (SCV) phenotype. SCVs are frequently auxotrophic for menadione or hemin, two compounds involved in the biosynthesis of the electron transport chain. SCVs have been shown to be more resistant to antibiotics such as aminoglycosides, grow slowly and persist intracellularly. The aim of this study was to assess the virulence of an hemB mutant, which has been shown to display the typical characteristics of clinical SCVs, in a murine model of septic arthritis. NMRI mice were inoculated intravenously with either the wild type strain Newman or with its mutant displaying the SCV phenotype. The clinical, bacteriological, and histopathological progression of the disease was studied. Mice inoculated with the hemB mutant displayed a higher frequency and a significantly higher severity of arthritis than mice inoculated with the wild type Newman strain. Despite that, the mutant inoculated mice displayed significantly lower bacterial burden in their kidneys and joints compared with mice exposed to the wild parental strain. Notably, the hemB mutant produced almost 20 times more protease in vitro than the parental strain. We conclude that the small colony variants of S. aureus are more virulent on a per organism basis than its isogenic parental strain in the model of septic arthritis. This can at least in part be explained by the ability of SCV to produce high amounts of destructive proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ing-Marie Jonsson
- Department of Rheumatology, University of Göteborg, Guldhedsgatan 10A, S-413 46 Göteborg, Sweden.
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81
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Drenkard E, Ausubel FM. Pseudomonas biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance are linked to phenotypic variation. Nature 2002; 416:740-3. [PMID: 11961556 DOI: 10.1038/416740a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 666] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Colonization of the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients by the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the principal cause of mortality in CF populations. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections generally persist despite the use of long-term antibiotic therapy. This has been explained by postulating that P. aeruginosa forms an antibiotic-resistant biofilm consisting of bacterial communities embedded in an exopolysaccharide matrix. Alternatively, it has been proposed that resistant P. aeruginosa variants may be selected in the CF respiratory tract by antimicrobial therapy itself. Here we report that both explanations are correct, and are interrelated. We found that antibiotic-resistant phenotypic variants of P. aeruginosa with enhanced ability to form biofilms arise at high frequency both in vitro and in the lungs of CF patients. We also identified a regulatory protein (PvrR) that controls the conversion between antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-susceptible forms. Compounds that affect PvrR function could have an important role in the treatment of CF infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana Drenkard
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Massahusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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82
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Affiliation(s)
- S Mandal
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
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83
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Massey RC, Buckling A, Peacock SJ. Phenotypic switching of antibiotic resistance circumvents permanent costs in Staphylococcus aureus. Curr Biol 2001; 11:1810-4. [PMID: 11719226 DOI: 10.1016/s0960-9822(01)00507-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial antibiotic resistance is often associated with a fitness cost in the absence of the antibiotic [1,2]. We have examined a resistance mechanism in Staphylococcus aureus that negates these costs. Exposure to gentamicin both in vitro and in vivo has been reported to result in the emergence of a gentamicin-resistant small colony variant (SCV)[3-8]. We show that the emergence of SCVs following exposure to gentamicin results from a rapid switch and that bacteria exposed to cycles of gentamicin followed by antibiotic-free medium repeatedly switched between a resistant SCV and a sensitive parental phenotype (revertants). The fitness of revertants relative to S. aureus with stable gentamicin resistance was greater in drug-free media, which suggests that S. aureus has evolved an inducible and reversible resistance mechanism that circumvents a permanent cost to fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Massey
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom.
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84
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Tarello W. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) associated with Staphylococcus spp. bacteremia, responsive to potassium arsenite 0.5% in a veterinary surgeon and his coworking wife, handling with CFS animal cases. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2001; 24:233-46. [PMID: 11561958 DOI: 10.1016/s0147-9571(01)00012-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in human patients remain a controversial and perplexing condition with emerging zoonotic aspects. Recent advances in human medicine seem to indicate a bacterial etiology and the condition has already been described in horses, dogs, cats and birds of prey in association with micrococci-like organisms in the blood. To evaluate the possibility of a chronic bacteremia, a veterinary surgeon (the author) and his coworking wife, both diagnosed with CFS and meeting the CDC working case definition, were submitted to rapid blood cultures and fresh blood smears investigations. Blood cultures proved Staph-positive and micrococci-like organisms in the blood were repeatedly observed in the 3-year period preceding the arsenical therapy, during which several medicaments, including antibiotics, proved unsuccessful. Following treatment with a low dosage arsenical drug (potassium arsenite 0.5%, im., 1 ml/12 h, for 10 days) both patients experienced complete remission. At the post-treatment control made 1 month later, micrococci had disappeared from the blood, and the CD4/CD8 ratio was raising.
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