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Fiebiger U, Bereswill S, Heimesaat MM. Dissecting the Interplay Between Intestinal Microbiota and Host Immunity in Health and Disease: Lessons Learned from Germfree and Gnotobiotic Animal Models. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2016; 6:253-271. [PMID: 27980855 PMCID: PMC5146645 DOI: 10.1556/1886.2016.00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This review elaborates the development of germfree and gnotobiotic animal models and their application in the scientific field to unravel mechanisms underlying host-microbe interactions and distinct diseases. Strictly germfree animals are raised in isolators and not colonized by any organism at all. The germfree state is continuously maintained by birth, raising, housing and breeding under strict sterile conditions. However, isolator raised germfree mice are exposed to a stressful environment and exert an underdeveloped immune system. To circumvent these physiological disadvantages depletion of the bacterial microbiota in conventionally raised and housed mice by antibiotic treatment has become an alternative approach. While fungi and parasites are not affected by antibiosis, the bacterial microbiota in these "secondary abiotic mice" have been shown to be virtually eradicated. Recolonization of isolator raised germfree animals or secondary abiotic mice results in a gnotobiotic state. Both, germfree and gnotobiotic mice have been successfully used to investigate biological functions of the conventional microbiota in health and disease. Particularly for the development of novel clinical applications germfree mice are widely used tools, as summarized in this review further focusing on the modulation of bacterial microbiota in laboratory mice to better mimic conditions in the human host.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Markus M. Heimesaat
- Gastrointestinal Microbiology Research Group, Institute of Microbiology and Hygiene, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin
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52
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Vegge CS, Jansen van Rensburg MJ, Rasmussen JJ, Maiden MCJ, Johnsen LG, Danielsen M, MacIntyre S, Ingmer H, Kelly DJ. Glucose Metabolism via the Entner-Doudoroff Pathway in Campylobacter: A Rare Trait that Enhances Survival and Promotes Biofilm Formation in Some Isolates. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1877. [PMID: 27920773 PMCID: PMC5118423 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Isolates of the zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter are generally considered to be unable to metabolize glucose due to lack of key glycolytic enzymes. However, the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway has been identified in Campylobacter jejuni subsp. doylei and a few C. coli isolates. A systematic search for ED pathway genes in a wide range of Campylobacter isolates and in the C. jejuni/coli PubMLST database revealed that 1.7% of >6,000 genomes encoded a complete ED pathway, including both C. jejuni and C. coli from diverse clinical, environmental and animal sources. In rich media, glucose significantly enhanced stationary phase survival of a set of ED-positive C. coli isolates. Unexpectedly, glucose massively promoted floating biofilm formation in some of these ED-positive isolates. Metabolic profiling by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed distinct responses to glucose in a low biofilm strain (CV1257) compared to a high biofilm strain (B13117), consistent with preferential diversion of hexose-6-phosphate to polysaccharide in B13117. We conclude that while the ED pathway is rare amongst Campylobacter isolates causing human disease (the majority of which would be of agricultural origin), some glucose-utilizing isolates exhibit specific fitness advantages, including stationary-phase survival and biofilm production, highlighting key physiological benefits of this pathway in addition to energy conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina S Vegge
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Melissa J Jansen van Rensburg
- Department of Zoology, University of OxfordOxford, UK; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal InfectionsOxford, UK
| | - Janus J Rasmussen
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin C J Maiden
- Department of Zoology, University of OxfordOxford, UK; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal InfectionsOxford, UK
| | | | | | - Sheila MacIntyre
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading Reading, UK
| | - Hanne Ingmer
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David J Kelly
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Sheffield Sheffield, UK
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53
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Ellström P, Hansson I, Nilsson A, Rautelin H, Olsson Engvall E. Lipooligosaccharide locus classes and putative virulence genes among chicken and human Campylobacter jejuni isolates. BMC Microbiol 2016; 16:116. [PMID: 27871232 PMCID: PMC5118878 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-016-0740-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Campylobacter cause morbidity and considerable economic loss due to hospitalization and post infectious sequelae such as reactive arthritis, Guillain Barré- and Miller Fischer syndromes. Such sequelae have been linked to C. jejuni harboring sialic acid structures in their lipooligosaccharide (LOS) layer of the cell wall. Poultry is an important source of human Campylobacter infections but little is known about the prevalence of sialylated C. jejuni isolates and the extent of transmission of such isolates to humans. Results Genotypes of C. jejuni isolates from enteritis patients were compared with those of broiler chicken with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), to study the patterns of LOS biosynthesis genes and other virulence associated genes and to what extent these occur among Campylobacter genotypes found both in humans and chickens. Chicken and human isolates generally had similar distributions of the putative virulence genes and LOS locus classes studied. However, there were significant differences regarding LOS locus class of PFGE types that were overlapping between chicken and human isolates and those that were distinct to each source. Conclusions The study highlights the prevalence of virulence associated genes among Campylobacter isolates from humans and chickens and suggests possible patterns of transmission between the two species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Ellström
- Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden. .,Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Zoonosis Science Center, Uppsala University, BMC A9:3, Husargatan 3, SE-75123, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Ingrid Hansson
- Department of Microbiology, EU Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, National Veterinary Institute, SE-75189, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Nilsson
- Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hilpi Rautelin
- Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 21, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eva Olsson Engvall
- Department of Microbiology, EU Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, National Veterinary Institute, SE-75189, Uppsala, Sweden
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54
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Abstract
Campylobacter includes a group of genetically diverse species causing a range of diseases in animals and humans. The bacterium is frequently associated with two economically important and epidemiologically distinct reproductive diseases in ruminants: enzootic infectious infertility in cattle owing to Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis and abortions in sheep, goats, and cattle. Septic abortion, usually epizootic in sheep, has been historically associated with C. fetus subsp. fetus and to a lesser extent with Campylobacter jejuni. However, there has been a dramatic species shift in the etiology of Campylobacter abortions in recent years: C. jejuni has now replaced C. fetus subsp. fetus as the predominant cause of sheep abortion in the United States, which appears to be driven primarily by clonal expansion of a hypervirulent tetracycline-resistant C. jejuni clone. Here we provide a review on the recent advances in understanding the pathobiology of Campylobacter infections in animals, with an emphasis on the diseases in ruminants, covering epidemiology, pathogenesis, genomics, and control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orhan Sahin
- Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011;
| | - Michael Yaeger
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011;
| | - Zuowei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011; ,
| | - Qijing Zhang
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011; ,
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55
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Day CJ, King RM, Shewell LK, Tram G, Najnin T, Hartley-Tassell LE, Wilson JC, Fleetwood AD, Zhulin IB, Korolik V. A direct-sensing galactose chemoreceptor recently evolved in invasive strains of Campylobacter jejuni. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13206. [PMID: 27762269 PMCID: PMC5080441 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A rare chemotaxis receptor, Tlp11, has been previously identified in invasive strains of Campylobacter jejuni, the most prevalent cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Here we use glycan and small-molecule arrays, as well as surface plasmon resonance, to show that Tlp11 specifically interacts with galactose. Tlp11 is required for the chemotactic response of C. jejuni to galactose, as shown using wild type, allelic inactivation and addition mutants. The inactivated mutant displays reduced virulence in vivo, in a model of chicken colonization. The Tlp11 sensory domain represents the first known sugar-binding dCache_1 domain, which is the most abundant family of extracellular sensors in bacteria. The Tlp11 signalling domain interacts with the chemotaxis scaffolding proteins CheV and CheW, and comparative genomic analysis indicates a likely recent evolutionary origin for Tlp11. We propose to rename Tlp11 as CcrG, Campylobacter ChemoReceptor for Galactose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Day
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Rebecca M King
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Lucy K Shewell
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Greg Tram
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Tahria Najnin
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Lauren E Hartley-Tassell
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Jennifer C Wilson
- School of Medical Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Aaron D Fleetwood
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Igor B Zhulin
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.,Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37861, USA
| | - Victoria Korolik
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia.,School of Medical Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland QLD 4222, Australia
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56
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Gilbert MJ, Miller WG, Yee E, Zomer AL, van der Graaf-van Bloois L, Fitzgerald C, Forbes KJ, Méric G, Sheppard SK, Wagenaar JA, Duim B. Comparative Genomics of Campylobacter fetus from Reptiles and Mammals Reveals Divergent Evolution in Host-Associated Lineages. Genome Biol Evol 2016; 8:2006-19. [PMID: 27333878 PMCID: PMC4943207 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter fetus currently comprises three recognized subspecies, which display distinct host association. Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus and C fetus subsp. venerealis are both associated with endothermic mammals, primarily ruminants, whereas C fetus subsp. testudinum is primarily associated with ectothermic reptiles. Both C. fetus subsp. testudinum and C. fetus subsp. fetus have been associated with severe infections, often with a systemic component, in immunocompromised humans. To study the genetic factors associated with the distinct host dichotomy in C. fetus, whole-genome sequencing and comparison of mammal- and reptile-associated C fetus was performed. The genomes of C fetus subsp. testudinum isolated from either reptiles or humans were compared with elucidate the genetic factors associated with pathogenicity in humans. Genomic comparisons showed conservation of gene content and organization among C fetus subspecies, but a clear distinction between mammal- and reptile-associated C fetus was observed. Several genomic regions appeared to be subspecies specific, including a putative tricarballylate catabolism pathway, exclusively present in C fetus subsp. testudinum strains. Within C fetus subsp. testudinum, sapA, sapB, and sapAB type strains were observed. The recombinant locus iamABC (mlaFED) was exclusively associated with invasive C fetus subsp. testudinum strains isolated from humans. A phylogenetic reconstruction was consistent with divergent evolution in host-associated strains and the existence of a barrier to lateral gene transfer between mammal- and reptile-associated C fetus Overall, this study shows that reptile-associated C fetus subsp. testudinum is genetically divergent from mammal-associated C fetus subspecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten J Gilbert
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - William G Miller
- US Department of Agriculture, Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, Albany, California
| | - Emma Yee
- US Department of Agriculture, Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, Albany, California
| | - Aldert L Zomer
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, the Netherlands WHO Collaborating Center for Campylobacter/OIE Reference Laboratory for Campylobacteriosis, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Linda van der Graaf-van Bloois
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, the Netherlands WHO Collaborating Center for Campylobacter/OIE Reference Laboratory for Campylobacteriosis, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Collette Fitzgerald
- Biotechnology Core Facility Branch, Division of Scientific Resources, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ken J Forbes
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Guillaume Méric
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel K Sheppard
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom MRC Cloud-Based Infrastructure for Microbial Bioinformatics (CLIMB) Centre, Swansea University, United Kingdom Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jaap A Wagenaar
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, the Netherlands WHO Collaborating Center for Campylobacter/OIE Reference Laboratory for Campylobacteriosis, Utrecht, the Netherlands Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen UR, Lelystad, the Netherlands
| | - Birgitta Duim
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, the Netherlands WHO Collaborating Center for Campylobacter/OIE Reference Laboratory for Campylobacteriosis, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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57
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Dwivedi R, Nothaft H, Garber J, Xin Kin L, Stahl M, Flint A, van Vliet AHM, Stintzi A, Szymanski CM. L-fucose influences chemotaxis and biofilm formation in Campylobacter jejuni. Mol Microbiol 2016; 101:575-89. [PMID: 27145048 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Revised: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are zoonotic pathogens once considered asaccharolytic, but are now known to encode pathways for glucose and fucose uptake/metabolism. For C. jejuni, strains with the fuc locus possess a competitive advantage in animal colonization models. We demonstrate that this locus is present in > 50% of genome-sequenced strains and is prevalent in livestock-associated isolates of both species. To better understand how these campylobacters sense nutrient availability, we examined biofilm formation and chemotaxis to fucose. C. jejuni NCTC11168 forms less biofilms in the presence of fucose, although its fucose permease mutant (fucP) shows no change. In a newly developed chemotaxis assay, both wild-type and the fucP mutant are chemotactic towards fucose. C. jejuni 81-176 naturally lacks the fuc locus and is unable to swim towards fucose. Transfer of the NCTC11168 locus into 81-176 activated fucose uptake and chemotaxis. Fucose chemotaxis also correlated with possession of the pathway for C. jejuni RM1221 (fuc+) and 81116 (fuc-). Systematic mutation of the NCTC11168 locus revealed that Cj0485 is necessary for fucose metabolism and chemotaxis. This study suggests that components for fucose chemotaxis are encoded within the fuc locus, but downstream signals only in fuc + strains, are involved in coordinating fucose availability with biofilm development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritika Dwivedi
- Alberta Glycomics Centre and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Harald Nothaft
- Alberta Glycomics Centre and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Jolene Garber
- Alberta Glycomics Centre and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Lin Xin Kin
- Alberta Glycomics Centre and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Martin Stahl
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Annika Flint
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Arnoud H M van Vliet
- Institute of Food Research, Gut Health and Food Safety Programme, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UA, UK
| | - Alain Stintzi
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Christine M Szymanski
- Alberta Glycomics Centre and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
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58
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Molecular Characterization, Antimicrobial Resistance and Caco-2 Cell Invasion Potential of Campylobacter jejuni/coli from Young Children with Diarrhea. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2016; 35:330-4. [PMID: 26627197 DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000001016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Campylobacter is a major cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Young children represent a particular age group affected by Campylobacter infection because of their limited diets and weak immune systems. METHODS In this study, a total of 110 Campylobacter (80 Campylobacter jejuni and 30 Campylobacter coli) isolated from children younger than 5 years of age with diarrhea in Shanghai, China in 2011 were examined for their genetic relationship and antimicrobial susceptibility. The presence of virulence genes and its association with invasion potential in Caco-2 cell were also determined. RESULTS Multilocus sequence typing revealed 62 sequence types (STs) under 14 clonal complexes from C. jejuni and 15 STs under 2 clonal complexes from C. coli. High resistance rates among the 110 isolates were observed to nalidixic acid (88.2%), ciprofloxacin (87.3%) and tetracycline (87.3%), followed by ampicillin (30.9%), gentamicin (28.2%), clindamycin (21.8%), erythromycin (21.8%) and chloramphenicol (8.2%). Compared with that of C. jejuni (32.5%), a larger proportion of C. coli (83.3%) were resistant to multiple antimicrobials, including 16 isolates of ST-828 complex resistant to 6 antimicrobials: ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid and tetracycline. Furthermore, 57 Campylobacter isolates were selected based on their distinct STs and the presence of virulence genes to determine their abilities to adhere to and invade Caco-2 cells. The level of invasion varied widely among isolates and had relatively weak correlation with the genotype data. CONCLUSION Our findings provided baseline data on Campylobacter among young children. Active surveillance of Campylobacter is needed to better understand the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance trends of this significant pathogen to help control and protect young children from such infections.
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59
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Al-Haideri H, White MA, Kelly DJ. Major contribution of the type II beta carbonic anhydrase CanB (Cj0237) to the capnophilic growth phenotype ofCampylobacter jejuni. Environ Microbiol 2015; 18:721-35. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 10/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Halah Al-Haideri
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; The University of Sheffield; Firth Court, Western Bank Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - Michael A. White
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; The University of Sheffield; Firth Court, Western Bank Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - David J. Kelly
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; The University of Sheffield; Firth Court, Western Bank Sheffield S10 2TN UK
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60
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Staib L, Fuchs TM. Regulation of fucose and 1,2-propanediol utilization by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1116. [PMID: 26528264 PMCID: PMC4600919 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
After ingestion, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) encounters a densely populated, competitive environment in the gastrointestinal tract. To escape nutrient limitation caused by the intestinal microbiota, this pathogen has acquired specific metabolic traits to use compounds that are not metabolized by the commensal bacteria. For example, the utilization of 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD), a product of the fermentation of L-fucose, which is present in foods of herbal origin and is also a terminal sugar of gut mucins. Under anaerobic conditions and in the presence of tetrathionate, 1,2-PD can serve as an energy source for S. Typhimurium. Comprehensive database analysis revealed that the 1,2-PD and fucose utilization operons are present in all S. enterica serovars sequenced thus far. The operon, consisting of 21 genes, is expressed as a single polycistronic mRNA. As demonstrated here, 1,2-PD was formed and further used when S. Typhimurium strain 14028 was grown with L-fucose, and the gene fucA encoding L-fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase was required for this growth. Using promoter fusions, we monitored the expression of the propanediol utilization operon that was induced at very low concentrations of 1,2-PD and was inhibited by the presence of D-glucose.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thilo M. Fuchs
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobielle Ökologie, Zentralinstitut für Ernährungs- und Lebensmittelforschung Institute for Food and Health, Technische Universität MünchenFreising, Germany
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61
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Szymanski CM. Are campylobacters now capable of carbo-loading? Mol Microbiol 2015; 98:805-8. [PMID: 26259768 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Campylobacters are a leading cause of gastrointestinal morbidity worldwide and the majority of human infections are triggered by eating foods contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli. Campylobacters are equally notorious for their ability to mimic human glycoconjugate structures and for their capacity to synthesize both N- and O-linked glycoproteins. These species were once considered to be asaccharolytic, but it was recently shown that several strains possess a pathway for fucose uptake and metabolism, providing those isolates with a competitive advantage in vivo. Vorwerk et al. have now demonstrated through isotopologue profiling that certain strains of C. coli and C. jejuni are capable of glucose catabolism through the Entner-Doudoroff and pentose phosphate pathways. However, unlike the fate of fucose that has only been shown to be used for nutrition, glucose can be metabolized or incorporated into select amino acids and glycoconjugates. This discovery now provides researchers with the opportunity to introduce metabolically labeled sugars into campylobacters to study glycoconjugate biosynthesis within the cell. In addition, Vorwerk et al. add to the metabolic arsenal of campylobacters further highlighting the nutritional diversity among strains, even within the same species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Szymanski
- Alberta Glycomics Centre and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
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62
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Vorwerk H, Huber C, Mohr J, Bunk B, Bhuju S, Wensel O, Spröer C, Fruth A, Flieger A, Schmidt-Hohagen K, Schomburg D, Eisenreich W, Hofreuter D. A transferable plasticity region in Campylobacter coli allows isolates of an otherwise non-glycolytic food-borne pathogen to catabolize glucose. Mol Microbiol 2015; 98:809-30. [PMID: 26259566 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Thermophilic Campylobacter species colonize the intestine of agricultural and domestic animals commensally but cause severe gastroenteritis in humans. In contrast to other enteropathogenic bacteria, Campylobacter has been considered to be non-glycolytic, a metabolic property originally used for their taxonomic classification. Contrary to this dogma, we demonstrate that several Campylobacter coli strains are able to utilize glucose as a growth substrate. Isotopologue profiling experiments with (13) C-labeled glucose suggested that these strains catabolize glucose via the pentose phosphate and Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathways and use glucose efficiently for de novo synthesis of amino acids and cell surface carbohydrates. Whole genome sequencing of glycolytic C. coli isolates identified a genomic island located within a ribosomal RNA gene cluster that encodes for all ED pathway enzymes and a glucose permease. We could show in vitro that a non-glycolytic C. coli strain could acquire glycolytic activity through natural transformation with chromosomal DNA of C. coli and C. jejuni subsp. doylei strains possessing the ED pathway encoding plasticity region. These results reveal for the first time the ability of a Campylobacter species to catabolize glucose and provide new insights into how genetic macrodiversity through intra- and interspecies gene transfer expand the metabolic capacity of this food-borne pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanne Vorwerk
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Claudia Huber
- Lehrstuhl für Biochemie, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Juliane Mohr
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Boyke Bunk
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany.,German Centre of Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sabin Bhuju
- Department of Genome Analytics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Olga Wensel
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Cathrin Spröer
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany.,German Centre of Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Angelika Fruth
- Division of Enteropathogenic Bacteria and Legionella (FG11), German National Reference Centre for Salmonella and other Bacterial Enteric Pathogens, Robert Koch-Institute, Wernigerode, Germany
| | - Antje Flieger
- Division of Enteropathogenic Bacteria and Legionella (FG11), German National Reference Centre for Salmonella and other Bacterial Enteric Pathogens, Robert Koch-Institute, Wernigerode, Germany
| | - Kerstin Schmidt-Hohagen
- Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Dietmar Schomburg
- Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | - Dirk Hofreuter
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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van der Stel AX, van Mourik A, Łaniewski P, van Putten JPM, Jagusztyn-Krynicka EK, Wösten MMSM. The Campylobacter jejuni RacRS two-component system activates the glutamate synthesis by directly upregulating γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT). Front Microbiol 2015; 6:567. [PMID: 26097472 PMCID: PMC4456614 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2015] [Accepted: 05/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The highly conserved enzyme γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) plays an important role in metabolism of glutathione and glutamine. Yet, the regulation of ggt transcription in prokaryotes is poorly understood. In the human pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, GGT is important as it contributes to persistent colonization of the gut. Here we show that the GGT activity in C. jejuni is dependent on a functional RacRS (reduced ability to colonize) two-component system. Electrophoretic mobility shift and luciferase reporter assays indicate that the response regulator RacR binds to a promoter region ~80 bp upstream of the ggt transcriptional start site, which contains a recently identified RacR DNA binding consensus sequence. RacR needs to be phosphorylated to activate the transcription of the ggt gene, which is the case under low oxygen conditions in presence of alternative electron acceptors. A functional GGT and RacR are needed to allow C. jejuni to grow optimally on glutamine as sole carbon source under RacR inducing conditions. However, when additional carbon sources are present C. jejuni is capable of utilizing glutamine independently of GGT. RacR is the first prokaryotic transcription factor known to directly up-regulate both the cytoplasmic [glutamine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT)] as well as the periplasmic (GGT) production of glutamate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andries van Mourik
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht Netherlands
| | - Paweł Łaniewski
- Department of Bacterial Genetics, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw Poland
| | - Jos P M van Putten
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht Netherlands
| | - Elżbieta K Jagusztyn-Krynicka
- Department of Bacterial Genetics, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw Poland
| | - Marc M S M Wösten
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht Netherlands
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Wagley S, Newcombe J, Laing E, Yusuf E, Sambles CM, Studholme DJ, La Ragione RM, Titball RW, Champion OL. Differences in carbon source utilisation distinguish Campylobacter jejuni from Campylobacter coli. BMC Microbiol 2014; 14:262. [PMID: 25348335 PMCID: PMC4219013 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-014-0262-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli are human intestinal pathogens that are the most frequent causes of bacterial foodborne gastroenteritis in humans in the UK. In this study, we aimed to characterise the metabolic diversity of both C. jejuni and C. coli using a diverse panel of clinical strains isolated from the UK, Pakistan and Thailand, thereby representing both the developed and developing world. Our aim was to apply multi genome analysis and Biolog phenotyping to determine differences in carbon source utilisation by C. jejuni and C. coli strains. RESULTS We have identified a core set of carbon sources (utilised by all strains tested) and a set that are differentially utilised for a diverse panel of thirteen C. jejuni and two C. coli strains. This study used multi genome analysis to show that propionic acid is utilised only by C. coli strains tested. A broader PCR screen of 16 C. coli strains and 42 C. jejuni confirmed the absence of the genes needed for propanoate metabolism. CONCLUSIONS From our analysis we have identified a phenotypic method and two genotypic methods based on propionic utilisation that might be applicable for distinguishing between C. jejuni and C. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sariqa Wagley
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - Jane Newcombe
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK.
| | - Emma Laing
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK.
| | - Emmanuel Yusuf
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK.
| | - Christine M Sambles
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - David J Studholme
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - Roberto M La Ragione
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK.
- Department of Bacteriology, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Richard W Titball
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - Olivia L Champion
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
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65
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Hofreuter D. Defining the metabolic requirements for the growth and colonization capacity of Campylobacter jejuni. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2014; 4:137. [PMID: 25325018 PMCID: PMC4178425 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
During the last decade Campylobacter jejuni has been recognized as the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. This facultative intracellular pathogen is a member of the Epsilonproteobacteria and requires microaerobic atmosphere and nutrient rich media for efficient proliferation in vitro. Its catabolic capacity is highly restricted in contrast to Salmonella Typhimurium and other enteropathogenic bacteria because several common pathways for carbohydrate utilization are either missing or incomplete. Despite these metabolic limitations, C. jejuni efficiently colonizes various animal hosts as a commensal intestinal inhabitant. Moreover, C. jejuni is tremendously successful in competing with the human intestinal microbiota; an infectious dose of few hundreds bacteria is sufficient to overcome the colonization resistance of humans and can lead to campylobacteriosis. Besides the importance and clear clinical manifestation of this disease, the pathogenesis mechanisms of C. jejuni infections are still poorly understood. In recent years comparative genome sequence, transcriptome and metabolome analyses as well as mutagenesis studies combined with animal infection models have provided a new understanding of how the specific metabolic capacity of C. jejuni drives its persistence in the intestinal habitat of various hosts. Furthermore, new insights into the metabolic requirements that support the intracellular survival of C. jejuni were obtained. Because C. jejuni harbors distinct properties in establishing an infection in comparison to pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae, it represents an excellent organism for elucidating new aspects of the dynamic interaction and metabolic cross talk between a bacterial pathogen, the microbiota and the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Hofreuter
- Hannover Medical School, Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology Hannover, Germany
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66
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Ohshiro T, Morita N. Production and characterization of L-fucose dehydrogenase from newly isolated Acinetobacter sp. strain SA-134. Prep Biochem Biotechnol 2014; 44:382-91. [PMID: 24320238 DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2013.833107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Microorganisms producing L-fucose dehydrogenase were screened from soil samples, and one of the isolated bacterial strains SA-134 was identified as Acinetobacter sp. by 16S rDNA gene analysis. The strain grew well utilizing L-fucose as a sole source of carbon, but all other monosaccharides tested such as D-glucose and D-arabinose did not support the growth of the strain in the absence of L-fucose. D-Arabinose inhibited the growth even in the culture medium containing L-fucose. Although the strain grew on some organic acids and amino acids such as citric acid and L-alanine as sole sources of carbon, the enzyme was produced only in the presence of L-fucose. The fucose dehydrogenase was purified to apparently homogeneity from the strain, and the native enzyme was a monomer of 25 kD. L-Fucose and D-arabinose were good substrates for the enzyme, but L-galactose was a poor substrate. The enzyme acted on both NAD(+) and NADP(+) in the similar manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Ohshiro
- a Department of Biotechnology , Tottori University , Tottori , Japan
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67
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Vorwerk H, Mohr J, Huber C, Wensel O, Schmidt-Hohagen K, Gripp E, Josenhans C, Schomburg D, Eisenreich W, Hofreuter D. Utilization of host-derived cysteine-containing peptides overcomes the restricted sulphur metabolism of Campylobacter jejuni. Mol Microbiol 2014; 93:1224-45. [PMID: 25074326 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The non-glycolytic food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni successfully colonizes the intestine of various hosts in spite of its restricted metabolic properties. While several amino acids are known to be used by C. jejuni as energy sources, none of these have been found to be essential for growth. Here we demonstrated through phenotype microarray analysis that cysteine utilization increases the metabolic activity of C. jejuni. Furthermore, cysteine was crucial for its growth as C. jejuni was unable to synthesize it from sulphate or methionine. Our study showed that C. jejuni compensates this limited anabolic capacity by utilizing sulphide, thiosulphate, glutathione and the dipeptides γGlu-Cys, Cys-Gly and Gly-Cys as sulphur sources and cysteine precursors. A panel of C. jejuni mutants in putative peptidases and peptide transporters were generated and tested for their participation in the catabolism of the cysteine-containing peptides, and the predicted transporter protein CJJ81176_0236 was discovered to facilitate the growth with the dipeptide Cys-Gly, Ile-Arg and Ile-Trp. It was named Campylobacter peptide transporter A (CptA) and is the first representative of the oligopeptide transporter OPT family demonstrated to participate in the glutathione-derivative Cys-Gly catabolism in prokaryotes. Our study provides new insights into how host- and microbiota-derived substrates like sulphide, thiosulphate and short peptides are used by C. jejuni to compensate its restricted metabolic capacities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanne Vorwerk
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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68
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Watson E, Sherry A, Inglis NF, Lainson A, Jyothi D, Yaga R, Manson E, Imrie L, Everest P, Smith DGE. Proteomic and genomic analysis reveals novel Campylobacter jejuni outer membrane proteins and potential heterogeneity. EUPA OPEN PROTEOMICS 2014; 4:184-194. [PMID: 27525220 PMCID: PMC4975774 DOI: 10.1016/j.euprot.2014.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane proteins play important roles in the interaction of bacteria with their environment including nutrient acquisition, adhesion and invasion, and antibiotic resistance. In this study we identified 47 proteins within the Sarkosyl-insoluble fraction of Campylobacter jejuni 81-176, using LC-ESI-MS/MS. Comparative analysis of outer membrane protein sequences was visualised to reveal protein distribution within a panel of Campylobacter spp., identifying several C. jejuni-specific proteins. Smith-Waterman analyses of C. jejuni homologues revealed high sequence conservation amongst a number of hypothetical proteins, sequence heterogeneity of other proteins and several proteins which are absent in a proportion of strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Watson
- Moredun Research Institute, Bush Loan, Penicuik, United Kingdom
| | - Aileen Sherry
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Neil F Inglis
- Moredun Research Institute, Bush Loan, Penicuik, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Lainson
- Moredun Research Institute, Bush Loan, Penicuik, United Kingdom
| | | | - Raja Yaga
- Moredun Research Institute, Bush Loan, Penicuik, United Kingdom
| | - Erin Manson
- Moredun Research Institute, Bush Loan, Penicuik, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Imrie
- Moredun Research Institute, Bush Loan, Penicuik, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Everest
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - David G E Smith
- Moredun Research Institute, Bush Loan, Penicuik, United Kingdom; Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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69
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Staib L, Fuchs TM. From food to cell: nutrient exploitation strategies of enteropathogens. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2014; 160:1020-1039. [PMID: 24705229 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.078105-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Upon entering the human gastrointestinal tract, foodborne bacterial enteropathogens encounter, among numerous other stress conditions, nutrient competition with the host organism and the commensal microbiota. The main carbon, nitrogen and energy sources exploited by pathogens during proliferation in, and colonization of, the gut have, however, not been identified completely. In recent years, a huge body of literature has provided evidence that most enteropathogens are equipped with a large set of specific metabolic pathways to overcome nutritional limitations in vivo, thus increasing bacterial fitness during infection. These adaptations include the degradation of myo-inositol, ethanolamine cleaved from phospholipids, fucose derived from mucosal glycoconjugates, 1,2-propanediol as the fermentation product of fucose or rhamnose and several other metabolites not accessible for commensal bacteria or present in competition-free microenvironments. Interestingly, the data reviewed here point to common metabolic strategies of enteric pathogens allowing the exploitation of nutrient sources that not only are present in the gut lumen, the mucosa or epithelial cells, but also are abundant in food. An increased knowledge of the metabolic strategies developed by enteropathogens is therefore a key factor to better control foodborne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Staib
- ZIEL, Abteilung Mikrobiologie, and Lehrstuhl für Mikrobielle Ökologie, Fakultät für Grundlagen der Biowissenschaften, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85350 Freising, Germany
| | - Thilo M Fuchs
- ZIEL, Abteilung Mikrobiologie, and Lehrstuhl für Mikrobielle Ökologie, Fakultät für Grundlagen der Biowissenschaften, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85350 Freising, Germany
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70
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Higgins MA, Suits MD, Marsters C, Boraston AB. Structural and Functional Analysis of Fucose-Processing Enzymes from Streptococcus pneumoniae. J Mol Biol 2014; 426:1469-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Revised: 12/02/2013] [Accepted: 12/05/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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71
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Epps SVR, Harvey RB, Hume ME, Phillips TD, Anderson RC, Nisbet DJ. Foodborne Campylobacter: infections, metabolism, pathogenesis and reservoirs. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2013; 10:6292-304. [PMID: 24287853 PMCID: PMC3881114 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10126292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2013] [Revised: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Campylobacter species are a leading cause of bacterial-derived foodborne illnesses worldwide. The emergence of this bacterial group as a significant causative agent of human disease and their propensity to carry antibiotic resistance elements that allows them to resist antibacterial therapy make them a serious public health threat. Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are considered to be the most important enteropathogens of this genus and their ability to colonize and survive in a wide variety of animal species and habitats make them extremely difficult to control. This article reviews the historical and emerging importance of this bacterial group and addresses aspects of the human infections they cause, their metabolism and pathogenesis, and their natural reservoirs in order to address the need for appropriate food safety regulations and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon V. R. Epps
- Food & Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 2881 F&B Road, College Station, TX 77845, USA; E-Mails: (R.B.H.); (M.E.H.); (D.J.N)
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA; E-Mails: (S.V.R.E.); (T.D.P.)
| | - Roger B. Harvey
- Food & Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 2881 F&B Road, College Station, TX 77845, USA; E-Mails: (R.B.H.); (M.E.H.); (D.J.N)
| | - Michael E. Hume
- Food & Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 2881 F&B Road, College Station, TX 77845, USA; E-Mails: (R.B.H.); (M.E.H.); (D.J.N)
| | - Timothy D. Phillips
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA; E-Mails: (S.V.R.E.); (T.D.P.)
| | - Robin C. Anderson
- Food & Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 2881 F&B Road, College Station, TX 77845, USA; E-Mails: (R.B.H.); (M.E.H.); (D.J.N)
| | - David J. Nisbet
- Food & Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 2881 F&B Road, College Station, TX 77845, USA; E-Mails: (R.B.H.); (M.E.H.); (D.J.N)
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72
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Ellström P, Feodoroff B, Hänninen ML, Rautelin H. Lipooligosaccharide locus class of Campylobacter jejuni: sialylation is not needed for invasive infection. Clin Microbiol Infect 2013; 20:524-9. [PMID: 24102802 PMCID: PMC4235400 DOI: 10.1111/1469-0691.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2013] [Revised: 08/30/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a highly diverse enteropathogen that is commonly detected worldwide. It can sometimes cause bacteraemia, but the bacterial characteristics facilitating bloodstream infection are not known. A total of 73 C. jejuni isolates, consecutively collected from blood-borne infections during a 10-year period all over Finland and for which detailed clinical information of the patients were available, were included. We screened the isolates by PCR for the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) locus class and for the presence of the putative virulence genes ceuE, ciaB, fucP, and virB11. The isolates were also tested for γ-glutamyl transpeptidase production. The results were analysed with respect to the clinical characteristics of the patients, and the multilocus sequence types (MLSTs) and serum resistance of the isolates. LOS locus classes A, B, and C, which carry genes for sialylation of LOS, were detected in only 23% of the isolates. These isolates were not more resistant to human serum than those with the genes of non-sialylated LOS locus classes, but were significantly more prevalent among patients with underlying diseases (p 0.02). The fucose permease gene fucP was quite uncommon, but was associated with the isolates with the potential to sialylate LOS (p <0.0001). LOS locus classes and some of the putative virulence factors were associated with MLST clonal complexes. Although some of the bacterial characteristics studied here have been suggested to be important for the invasiveness of C. jejuni, they did not explain why the clinical isolates in the present study were able to cause bacteraemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Ellström
- Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Bacteriology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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73
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Xia Q, Muraoka WT, Shen Z, Sahin O, Wang H, Wu Z, Liu P, Zhang Q. Adaptive mechanisms of Campylobacter jejuni to erythromycin treatment. BMC Microbiol 2013; 13:133. [PMID: 23767761 PMCID: PMC3694039 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-13-133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2013] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Macrolide is the drug of choice to treat human campylobacteriosis, but Campylobacter resistance to this antibiotic is rising. The mechanisms employed by Campylobacter jejuni to adapt to erythromycin treatment remain unknown and are examined in this study. The transcriptomic response of C. jejuni NCTC 11168 to erythromycin (Ery) treatment was determined by competitive microarray hybridizations. Representative genes identified to be differentially expressed were further characterized by constructing mutants and assessing their involvement in antimicrobial susceptibility, oxidative stress tolerance, and chicken colonization. Results Following the treatment with an inhibitory dose of Ery, 139 genes were up-regulated and 119 were down-regulated. Many genes associated with flagellar biosynthesis and motility was up-regulated, while many genes involved in tricarboxylic acid cycle, electron transport, and ribonucleotide biosynthesis were down-regulated. Exposure to a sub-inhibitory dose of Ery resulted in differential expression of much fewer genes. Interestingly, two putative drug efflux operons (cj0309c-cj0310c and cj1173-cj1174) were up-regulated. Although mutation of the two operons did not alter the susceptibility of C. jejuni to antimicrobials, it reduced Campylobacter growth under high-level oxygen. Another notable finding is the consistent up-regulation of cj1169c-cj1170c, of which cj1170c encodes a known phosphokinase, an important regulatory protein in C. jejuni. Mutation of the cj1169c-cj1170c rendered C. jejuni less tolerant to atmospheric oxygen and reduced Campylobacter colonization and transmission in chickens. Conclusions These findings indicate that Ery treatment elicits a range of changes in C. jejuni transcriptome and affects the expression of genes important for in vitro and in vivo adaptation. Up-regulation of motility and down-regulation of energy metabolism likely facilitate Campylobacter to survive during Ery treatment. These findings provide new insight into Campylobacter adaptive response to antibiotic treatment and may help to understand the mechanisms underlying antibiotic resistance development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Xia
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, P. R. China
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Rasmussen JJ, Vegge CS, Frøkiær H, Howlett RM, Krogfelt KA, Kelly DJ, Ingmer H. Campylobacter jejuni carbon starvation protein A (CstA) is involved in peptide utilization, motility and agglutination, and has a role in stimulation of dendritic cells. J Med Microbiol 2013; 62:1135-1143. [PMID: 23682166 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.059345-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is the most frequent cause of severe gastroenteritis in the developed world. The major symptom of campylobacteriosis is inflammatory diarrhoea. The molecular mechanisms of this infection are poorly understood compared to those of less frequent disease-causing pathogens. In a previous study, we identified C. jejuni proteins that antibodies in human campylobacteriosis patients reacted with. One of the immunogenic proteins identified (Cj0917) displays homology to carbon starvation protein A (CstA) from Escherichia coli, where this protein is involved in the starvation response and peptide uptake. In contrast to many bacteria, C. jejuni relies on amino acids and organic acids for energy, but in vivo it is highly likely that peptides are also utilized, although their mechanisms of uptake are unknown. In this study, Biolog phenotype microarrays have been used to show that a ΔcstA mutant has a reduced ability to utilize a number of di- and tri-peptides as nitrogen sources. This phenotype was restored through genetic complementation, suggesting CstA is a peptide uptake system in C. jejuni. Furthermore, the ΔcstA mutant also displayed reduced motility and reduced agglutination compared to WT bacteria; these phenotypes were also restored through complementation. Murine dendritic cells exposed to UV-killed bacteria showed a reduced IL-12 production, but the same IL-10 response when encountering C. jejuni ΔcstA compared to the WT strain. The greater Th1 stimulation elicited by the WT as compared to ΔcstA mutant cells indicates an altered antigenic presentation on the surface, and thus an altered recognition of the mutant. Thus, we conclude that C. jejuni CstA is important not only for peptide utilization, but also it may influence host-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Rasmussen
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - C S Vegge
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - H Frøkiær
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - R M Howlett
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - K A Krogfelt
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
| | - D J Kelly
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - H Ingmer
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
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Johnson TJ, Abrahante JE, Hunter SS, Hauglund M, Tatum FM, Maheswaran SK, Briggs RE. Comparative genome analysis of an avirulent and two virulent strains of avian Pasteurella multocida reveals candidate genes involved in fitness and pathogenicity. BMC Microbiol 2013; 13:106. [PMID: 23672515 PMCID: PMC3660278 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-13-106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2013] [Accepted: 05/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pasteurella multocida is the etiologic agent of fowl cholera, a highly contagious and severe disease of poultry causing significant mortality and morbidity throughout the world. All types of poultry are susceptible to fowl cholera. Turkeys are most susceptible to the peracute/acute forms of the disease while chickens are most susceptible to the acute and chronic forms of the disease. The whole genome of the Pm70 strain of P. multocida was sequenced and annotated in 2001. The Pm70 strain is not virulent to chickens and turkeys. In contrast, strains X73 and P1059 are highly virulent to turkeys, chickens, and other poultry species. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of P. multocida strains X73 and P1059 and undertook a detailed comparative genome analysis with the avirulent Pm70 strain. The goal of this study was to identify candidate genes in the virulent strains that may be involved in pathogenicity of fowl cholera disease. RESULTS Comparison of virulent versus avirulent avian P. multocida genomes revealed 336 unique genes among the P1059 and/or X73 genomes compared to strain Pm70. Genes of interest within this subset included those encoding an L-fucose transport and utilization system, several novel sugar transport systems, and several novel hemagglutinins including one designated PfhB4. Additionally, substantial amino acid variation was observed in many core outer membrane proteins and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis confirmed a higher dN/dS ratio within proteins localized to the outer membrane. CONCLUSIONS Comparative analyses of highly virulent versus avirulent avian P. multocida identified a number of genomic differences that may shed light on the ability of highly virulent strains to cause disease in the avian host, including those that could be associated with enhanced virulence or fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Johnson
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St, Paul, MN, USA.
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Shen Z, Han J, Wang Y, Sahin O, Zhang Q. The contribution of ArsB to arsenic resistance in Campylobacter jejuni. PLoS One 2013; 8:e58894. [PMID: 23554953 PMCID: PMC3598800 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 02/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Arsenic, a toxic metalloid, exists in the natural environment and its organic form is approved for use as a feed additive for animal production. As a major foodborne pathogen of animal origin, Campylobacter is exposed to arsenic selection pressure in the food animal production environments. Previous studies showed that Campylobacter isolates from poultry were highly resistant to arsenic compounds and a 4-gene operon (containing arsP, arsR, arsC, and acr3) was associated with arsenic resistance in Campylobacter. However, this 4-gene operon is only present in some Campylobacter isolates and other arsenic resistance mechanisms in C. jejuni have not been characterized. In this study, we determined the role of several putative arsenic resistance genes including arsB, arsC2, and arsR3 in arsenic resistance in C. jejuni and found that arsB, but not the other two genes, contributes to the resistance to arsenite and arsenate. Inactivation of arsB in C. jejuni resulted in 8- and 4-fold reduction in the MICs of arsenite and arsenate, respectively, and complementation of the arsB mutant restored the MIC of arsenite. Additionally, overexpression of arsB in C. jejuni 11168 resulted in a 16-fold increase in the MIC of arsenite. PCR analysis of C. jejuni isolates from different animals hosts indicated that arsB and acr3 (the 4-gene operon) are widely distributed in various C. jejuni strains, suggesting that Campylobacter requires at least one of the two genes for adaptation to arsenic-containing environments. These results identify ArsB as an alternative mechanism for arsenic resistance in C. jejuni and provide new insights into the adaptive mechanisms of Campylobacter in animal food production environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangqi Shen
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Jing Han
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Yang Wang
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Orhan Sahin
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Qijing Zhang
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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77
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Forano E, Chaucheyras-Durand F, Bertin Y, Martin C. [EHEC carriage in ruminants and probiotic effects]. Biol Aujourdhui 2013; 207:261-7. [PMID: 24594574 DOI: 10.1051/jbio/2013023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are Shiga-Toxin producing E. coli (STEC) that cause human outbreaks which can lead to a severe illness such as haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS), particularly in young children. The gastrointestinal tract of cattle and other ruminants is the principal reservoir of EHEC strains and outbreaks have been associated with direct contact with the farm environment, and with the consumption of meat, dairy products, water and fruit or vegetable contaminated with ruminant manure. Several outbreaks occurred these last years in France. In Brazil, although STEC carriage in ruminants is important, human cases due to EHEC are fairly rare. In order to reduce EHEC survival in the ruminant gastrointestinal tract and thus limit contamination of food products, it is necessary to determine the mechanisms underlying EHEC persistence in this ecosystem with the aim of developing nutritional or ecological strategies. The effect of probiotics has been tested in vitro on the growth and survival of EHEC strains and in vivo on the animal carriage of these strains. Various studies have then shown that lactic bacteria or non-pathogenic E. coli strains were able to limit EHEC fecal shedding. In addition, understanding EHEC physiology in the ruminant gut is also critical for limiting EHEC shedding. We found that EHEC O157:H7 is able to use ethanolamine and mucus-derived sugars as nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively. Thus, these substrates represent an ecological niche for EHEC and their utilization confers a competitive growth advantage to these pathogens as they use them more rapidly than the bacteria belonging to the resident intestinal microbiota. Understanding EHEC metabolism and ecology in the bovine intestinal tract will allow proposing probiotic strains to compete with EHEC for nutrients and thus decrease the sanitary risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyne Forano
- INRA, UR 454 Microbiologie, Centre de Recherches de Clermont-Ferrand/Theix, 63122 St-Genès-Champanelle, France
| | - Frédérique Chaucheyras-Durand
- INRA, UR 454 Microbiologie, Centre de Recherches de Clermont-Ferrand/Theix, 63122 St-Genès-Champanelle, France - Lallemand Animal Nutrition, 19 rue des Briquetiers, 31702 Blagnac, France
| | - Yolande Bertin
- INRA, UR 454 Microbiologie, Centre de Recherches de Clermont-Ferrand/Theix, 63122 St-Genès-Champanelle, France
| | - Christine Martin
- INRA, UR 454 Microbiologie, Centre de Recherches de Clermont-Ferrand/Theix, 63122 St-Genès-Champanelle, France
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78
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Sheppard SK, Didelot X, Jolley KA, Darling AE, Pascoe B, Meric G, Kelly DJ, Cody A, Colles FM, Strachan NJC, Ogden ID, Forbes K, French NP, Carter P, Miller WG, McCarthy ND, Owen R, Litrup E, Egholm M, Affourtit JP, Bentley SD, Parkhill J, Maiden MCJ, Falush D. Progressive genome-wide introgression in agricultural Campylobacter coli. Mol Ecol 2012; 22:1051-64. [PMID: 23279096 PMCID: PMC3749442 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Revised: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 10/21/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Hybridization between distantly related organisms can facilitate rapid adaptation to novel environments, but is potentially constrained by epistatic fitness interactions among cell components. The zoonotic pathogens Campylobacter coli and C. jejuni differ from each other by around 15% at the nucleotide level, corresponding to an average of nearly 40 amino acids per protein-coding gene. Using whole genome sequencing, we show that a single C. coli lineage, which has successfully colonized an agricultural niche, has been progressively accumulating C. jejuni DNA. Members of this lineage belong to two groups, the ST-828 and ST-1150 clonal complexes. The ST-1150 complex is less frequently isolated and has undergone a substantially greater amount of introgression leading to replacement of up to 23% of the C. coli core genome as well as import of novel DNA. By contrast, the more commonly isolated ST-828 complex bacteria have 10–11% introgressed DNA, and C. jejuni and nonagricultural C. coli lineages each have <2%. Thus, the C. coli that colonize agriculture, and consequently cause most human disease, have hybrid origin, but this cross-species exchange has so far not had a substantial impact on the gene pools of either C. jejuni or nonagricultural C. coli. These findings also indicate remarkable interchangeability of basic cellular machinery after a prolonged period of independent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel K Sheppard
- Department of Zoology, The Tinbergen Building, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
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79
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Contribution of amino acid catabolism to the tissue specific persistence of Campylobacter jejuni in a murine colonization model. PLoS One 2012; 7:e50699. [PMID: 23226358 PMCID: PMC3511319 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2012] [Accepted: 10/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of food-borne disease in industrialized countries. Carbohydrate utilization by C. jejuni is severely restricted, and knowledge about which substrates fuel C. jejuni infection and growth is limited. Some amino acids have been shown to serve as carbon sources both in vitro and in vivo. In the present study we investigated the contribution of serine and proline catabolism to the invitro and invivo growth of C. jejuni 81-176. We confirmed that the serine transporter SdaC and the serine ammonia-lyase SdaA are required for serine utilization, and demonstrated that a predicted proline permease PutP and a bifunctional proline/delta-1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase PutA are required for proline utilization by C. jejuni 81-176. C. jejuni 81-176 mutants unable to utilize serine were shown to be severely defective for colonization of the intestine and systemic tissues in a mouse model of infection. In contrast, C. jejuni 81-176 mutants unable to utilize proline were only defective for intestinal colonization. These results further emphasize the importance of amino acid utilization in C. jejuni colonization of various tissues.
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80
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Bertin Y, Chaucheyras-Durand F, Robbe-Masselot C, Durand A, de la Foye A, Harel J, Cohen PS, Conway T, Forano E, Martin C. Carbohydrate utilization by enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in bovine intestinal content. Environ Microbiol 2012; 15:610-22. [PMID: 23126484 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Revised: 10/01/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The bovine gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the main reservoir for enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) responsible for food-borne infections. Characterization of nutrients preferentially used by EHEC in the bovine intestine would help to develop ecological strategies to reduce EHEC carriage. However, the carbon sources that support the growth of EHEC in the bovine intestine are poorly documented. In this study, a very low concentration of glucose, the most abundant monomer included in the cattle dietary polysaccharides, was detected in bovine small intestine contents (BSIC) collected from healthy cows at the slaughterhouse. Six carbohydrates reported to be included in the mucus layer covering the enterocytes [galactose, N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc), N-acetyl- galactosamine (GalNAc), fucose, mannose and N-acetyl neuraminic acid (Neu5Ac)] have been quantified for the first time in BSIC and accounted for a total concentration of 4.2 mM carbohydrates. The genes required for enzymatic degradation of the six mucus-derived carbohydrates are highly expressed during the exponential growth of the EHEC strain O157:H7 EDL933 in BSIC and are more strongly induced in EHEC than in bovine commensal E. coli. In addition, EDL933 consumed the free monosaccharides present in the BSIC more rapidly than the resident microbiota and commensal E. coli, indicating a competitive ability of EHEC to catabolize mucus-derived carbohydrates in the bovine gut. Mutations of EDL933 genes required for the catabolism of each of these sugars have been constructed, and growth competitions of the mutants with the wild-type strain clearly demonstrated that mannose, GlcNAc, Neu5Ac and galactose catabolism confers a high competitive growth advantage to EHEC in BSIC and probably represents an ecological niche for EHEC strains in the bovine small intestine. The utilization of these mucus-derived monosaccharides by EDL933 is apparently required for rapid growth of EHEC in BSIC, and for maintaining a competitive growth rate as compared with that of commensal E. coli. The results suggest a strategy for O157:H7 E. coli survival in the bovine intestine, whereby EHEC rapidly consumes mucus-derived carbohydrates that are poorly consumed by bacteria belonging to the resident intestinal microbiota, including commensal E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolande Bertin
- INRA, UR454 Microbiologie, 63122, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France.
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81
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Zautner AE, Ohk C, Tareen AM, Lugert R, Gross U. Epidemiological association of Campylobacter jejuni groups with pathogenicity-associated genetic markers. BMC Microbiol 2012; 12:171. [PMID: 22873291 PMCID: PMC3487957 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2012] [Accepted: 08/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Campylobacter jejuni, the most leading cause for bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, shows a high genetic diversity among its isolates. Recently, we demonstrated the existence of six C. jejuni-groups by combining MLST with six genetic markers. These groups were further characterized by the detection of cj1321-cj1326, fucP, cj0178, cj0755/cfrA, ceuE, pldA, cstII, and cstIII in order (I.) to show further associations between these different genetic markers and MLST CCs. Moreover, different studies were able to associate several of these markers: a sialylated lipoologosaccharide (cstII/III+), the gamma-glytamyl-transpeptidase (ggt+), and the absence of a certain allele of the enterochelin-uptake-binding-protein (ceuE11168-) with severe campylobacteriosis, bloody diarrhea and unpleasant outcome. Additionally more than half of human Campylobacter-isolates were assigned to a non-livestock clade associated with the absence of cj1321-cj1326. These isolates were considered as mere colonizers. From the combination of marker genes, the ratio of human isolates in a specific group, and clinical data (II.) it should be demonstrated to which of the previous defined groups these Campylobacter-subpopulations, associated with higher virulence, correspond. Results Besides the marker gene pldA, all new estimated genetic markers show significant differences in their distribution among the various MLST-based groups. Especially the genes for cj1321-cj1326, fucP, cj0178, cj0755/cfrA are widely associated with each other and split the study population into two major and seven intermediate groups substantiating the previous group-definition, whereas cstII and cstIII indicate at least three groups following an independent distribution pattern. Conclusions Based on these data a group of C. jejuni-isolates characterized by the presence of ansB, dmsA, ggt, and the absence of cj1365c, cj1585c, cj1321-cj1326, fucP, cj0178, cj0755/cfrA, and cstII/III was associated with a higher prevalence in human campylobacteriosis, bloody diarrhea as well as hospitalization and bears obviously a higher virulence for humans. In contrast to that better livestock-adapted groups characterized by the ability to utilize L-fucose and the presence of all of the five identified putative C. jejuni iron-uptake systems as well as cj1321-cj1326, cj1365c, cj1585c, and cstII and/or cstIII (sialylated lipoologosaccharide) is more prevalent in animal hosts and was secondary associated with less severe campylobacteriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas E Zautner
- Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Abteilung für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Germany.
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82
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Association of Campylobacter jejuni metabolic traits with multilocus sequence types. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:5550-4. [PMID: 22660710 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01023-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we describe the association of three Campylobacter jejuni metabolism-related traits, γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), fucose permease (fucP), and secreted L-asparaginase [ansB(s)], with multilocus sequence types (STs). A total of 710 C. jejuni isolates with known STs were selected and originated from humans, poultry, bovines, and the environment. Among these isolates, we found 31.1% to produce GGT and 49.3% and 30.3% to be positive for ansB(s) and fucP, respectively. The combination of GGT production, the presence of ansB(s), and the absence of fucP was associated with ST-22, ST-586, and the ST-45 and ST-283 clonal complexes (CCs), which were the main STs and CCs found among the human and chicken isolates. The ST-21 CC was associated with the presence of fucP and was the major CC among the bovine isolates. Although the ST-61 CC was the second major CC among the bovine isolates, these isolates did not have any of the markers studied, making the role of fucP in bovine gut colonization questionable. The ST-45 CC was subdivided into three groups that were attributed solely to ST-45. One group showed a marker combination described previously, another group was found to be positive for ansB(s) only, and the third group did not have any of the markers studied. These results suggest that the host association of these markers seems to be indirect and may arise as a consequence of host-ST and -CC associations. Thus, a representative collection of STs should be tested to draw sensible conclusions in similar studies.
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83
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Anderson RC, Krueger NA, Genovese KJ, Stanton TB, Mackinnon KM, Harvey RB, Edrington TS, Callaway TR, Nisbet AJ. Effect of thymol or diphenyliodonium chloride on performance, gut fermentation characteristics, and campylobacter colonization in growing swine. J Food Prot 2012; 75:758-61. [PMID: 22488067 DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-11-390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Food producing animals can be reservoirs of Campylobacter, a leading bacterial cause of human foodborne illness. Campylobacter spp. utilize amino acids as major carbon and energy substrates, a process that can be inhibited by thymol and diphenyliodonium chloride (DIC). To determine the effect of these potential additives on feed intake, live weight gain, and gut Campylobacter levels, growing pigs were fed standard grower diets supplemented with or without 0.0067 or 0.0201% thymol or 0.00014 or 0.00042% DIC in a replicated study design. Diets were offered twice daily for 7 days, during which time daily feed intake (mean ± SEM, 2.39 ± 0.06 kg day(-1)) and daily gain (0.62 ± 0.04 kg day(-1)) were unaffected (P > 0.05) by treatment. Pigs treated with DIC but not thymol tended to have lower rectal Campylobacter levels (P ∼ 0.07) (5.2 versus 4.2 and 4.4 log CFU g(-1) rectal contents for controls and 0.00014% DIC and 0.00042% DIC, respectively; SEM ∼ 0.26). However, DIC or thymol treatments did not affect (P > 0.05) ileal or cecal Campylobacter (1.6 ± 0.17 and 4.5 ± 0.26 log CFU g(-1), respectively), cecal total culturable anaerobes (9.8 ± 0.10 log CFU g(-1)), or accumulations of major fermentation end products within collected gut contents. These results suggest that thymol and DIC were appreciably absorbed, degraded, or otherwise made unavailable in the proximal alimentary tract and that encapsulation technologies will likely be needed to deliver effective concentrations of these compounds to the lower gut to achieve in vivo reductions of Campylobacter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin C Anderson
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Food & Feed Safety Research Unit, College Station, TX 77845, USA.
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84
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Szymanski CM, Gaynor E. How a sugary bug gets through the day: recent developments in understanding fundamental processes impacting Campylobacter jejuni pathogenesis. Gut Microbes 2012; 3:135-44. [PMID: 22555465 PMCID: PMC3370946 DOI: 10.4161/gmic.19488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a highly prevalent yet fastidious bacterial pathogen that poses a significant health burden worldwide. Lacking many hallmark virulence factors, it is becoming increasingly clear that C. jejuni pathogenesis involves different strategies compared with other well-characterized enteric organisms. This includes the involvement of basic biological processes and cell envelope glycans in a number of aspects related to pathogenesis. The past few years have seen significant progress in the understanding of these pathways and how they relate to C. jejuni fundamental biology, stress survival, colonization, and virulence attributes. This review focuses on recent studies in three general areas where "pathogenesis" and "basic biology" overlap: physiology, stress responses and glycobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M. Szymanski
- Alberta Glycomics Centre and Department of Biological Sciences; University of Alberta; Edmonton, Canada,Correspondence to: Christine M. Szymanski, or Erin Gaynor,
| | - Erin Gaynor
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology; University of British Columbia; Vancouver, Canada,Correspondence to: Christine M. Szymanski, or Erin Gaynor,
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85
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Alemka A, Corcionivoschi N, Bourke B. Defense and adaptation: the complex inter-relationship between Campylobacter jejuni and mucus. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2012; 2:15. [PMID: 22919607 PMCID: PMC3417559 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2012.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2011] [Accepted: 02/03/2012] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mucus colonization is an essential early step toward establishing successful infection and disease by mucosal pathogens. There is an emerging literature implicating specific mucin sub-types and mucin modifications in protecting the host from Campylobacter jejuni infection. However, mucosal pathogens have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to breach the mucus layer and C. jejuni in particular appears to harbor specific adaptations to better colonize intestinal mucus. For example, components of mucus are chemotactic for C. jejuni and the rheological properties of mucus promote motility of the organism. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate that mucins modulate the pathogenicity of C. jejuni in a species-specific manner and likely help determine whether these bacteria become pathogenic (as in humans), or adopt a commensal mode of existence (as in chickens and other animals). This review focuses on recent advances in understanding the complex interplay between C. jejuni and components of the mucus layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abofu Alemka
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB, Canada
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86
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Stahl M, Butcher J, Stintzi A. Nutrient acquisition and metabolism by Campylobacter jejuni. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2012; 2:5. [PMID: 22919597 PMCID: PMC3417520 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2012.00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Accepted: 01/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The gastrointestinal pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is able to colonize numerous different hosts and compete against the gut microbiota. To do this, it must be able to efficiently acquire sufficient nutrients from its environment to support its survival and rapid growth in the intestine. However, despite almost 50 years of research, many aspects as to how C. jejuni accomplishes this feat remain poorly understood. C. jejuni lacks many of the common metabolic pathways necessary for the use of glucose, galactose, or other carbohydrates upon which most other microbes thrive. It does however make efficient use of citric acid cycle intermediates and various amino acids. C. jejuni readily uses the amino acids aspartate, glutamate, serine, and proline, with certain strains also possessing additional pathways allowing for the use of glutamine and asparagine. More recent work has revealed that some C. jejuni strains can metabolize the sugar l-fucose. This finding has upset years of dogma that C. jejuni is an asaccharolytic organism. C. jejuni also possesses diverse mechanisms for the acquisition of various transition metals that are required for metabolic activities. In particular, iron acquisition is critical for the formation of iron–sulfur complexes. C. jejuni is also unique in possessing both molybdate and tungsten cofactored proteins and thus has an unusual regulatory scheme for these metals. Together these various metabolic and acquisition pathways help C. jejuni to compete and thrive in wide variety of hosts and environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Stahl
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
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87
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Critical role of LuxS in the virulence of Campylobacter jejuni in a guinea pig model of abortion. Infect Immun 2011; 80:585-93. [PMID: 22144479 DOI: 10.1128/iai.05766-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies on Campylobacter jejuni have demonstrated the role of LuxS in motility, cytolethal distending toxin production, agglutination, and intestinal colonization; however, its direct involvement in virulence has not been reported. In this study, we demonstrate a direct role of luxS in the virulence of C. jejuni in two different animal hosts. The IA3902 strain, a highly virulent sheep abortion strain recently described by our laboratory, along with its isogenic luxS mutant and luxS complement strains, was inoculated by the oral route into both a pregnant guinea pig virulence model and a chicken colonization model. In both cases, the IA3902 luxS mutant demonstrated a complete loss of ability to colonize the intestinal tract. In the pregnant model, the mutant also failed to induce abortion, while the wild-type strain was highly abortifacient. Genetic complementation of the luxS gene fully restored the virulent phenotype in both models. Interestingly, when the organism was inoculated into guinea pigs by the intraperitoneal route, no difference in virulence (abortion induction) was observed between the luxS mutant and the wild-type strain, suggesting that the defect in virulence following oral inoculation is likely associated with a defect in colonization and/or translocation of the organism out of the intestine. These studies provide the first direct evidence that LuxS plays an important role in the virulence of C. jejuni using an in vivo model of natural disease.
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88
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Gripp E, Hlahla D, Didelot X, Kops F, Maurischat S, Tedin K, Alter T, Ellerbroek L, Schreiber K, Schomburg D, Janssen T, Bartholomäus P, Hofreuter D, Woltemate S, Uhr M, Brenneke B, Grüning P, Gerlach G, Wieler L, Suerbaum S, Josenhans C. Closely related Campylobacter jejuni strains from different sources reveal a generalist rather than a specialist lifestyle. BMC Genomics 2011; 12:584. [PMID: 22122991 PMCID: PMC3283744 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2011] [Accepted: 11/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are human intestinal pathogens of global importance. Zoonotic transmission from livestock animals or animal-derived food is the likely cause for most of these infections. However, little is known about their general and host-specific mechanisms of colonization, or virulence and pathogenicity factors. In certain hosts, Campylobacter species colonize persistently and do not cause disease, while they cause acute intestinal disease in humans. Results Here, we investigate putative host-specificity using phenotypic characterization and genome-wide analysis of genetically closely related C. jejuni strains from different sources. A collection of 473 fresh Campylobacter isolates from Germany was assembled between 2006 and 2010 and characterized using MLST. A subset of closely related C. jejuni strains of the highly prevalent sequence type ST-21 was selected from different hosts and isolation sources. PCR typing of strain-variable genes provided evidence that some genes differed between these strains. Furthermore, phenotypic variation of these strains was tested using the following criteria: metabolic variation, protein expression patterns, and eukaryotic cell interaction. The results demonstrated remarkable phenotypic diversity within the ST-21 group, which however did not correlate with isolation source. Whole genome sequencing was performed for five ST-21 strains from chicken, human, bovine, and food sources, in order to gain insight into ST-21 genome diversity. The comparisons showed extensive genomic diversity, primarily due to recombination and gain of phage-related genes. By contrast, no genomic features associated with isolation source or host were identified. Conclusions The genome information and phenotypic data obtained in vitro and in a chicken infection model provided little evidence of fixed adaptation to a specific host. Instead, the dominant C. jejuni ST-21 appeared to be characterized by phenotypic flexibility and high genetic microdiversity, revealing properties of a generalist. High genetic flexibility might allow generalist variants of C. jejuni to reversibly express diverse fitness factors in changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Gripp
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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89
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Burrough ER, Wu Z, Sahin O, Zhang Q, Yaeger MJ. Spatial Distribution of Putative Growth Factors in the Guinea Pig Placenta and the Effects of These Factors, Plasma, and Bile on the Growth and Chemotaxis of Campylobacter jejuni. Vet Pathol 2011; 49:470-81. [DOI: 10.1177/0300985811424755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The pregnant guinea pig is an effective model for studying abortifacient Campylobacter spp, and previous experiments have demonstrated that C. jejuni IA3902 has a marked predilection for the subplacenta while sparing the placental disc in this species. In the study described here, the growth and chemotaxis of IA3902 and a reference strain (NCTC 11168) are compared in the presence of subplacental and placental factors, as well as bile and plasma, from pregnant and nonpregnant guinea pigs. Both strains grew better in subplacental versus placental disc tissue extracts at 24 hours; however, only IA3902 maintained this enhancement at 48 hours. Histochemistry and lectin histochemistry were used to localize mucin, iron, and l-fucose within the placental unit. Mucin was most abundant in subplacental lacunae, the junctional zone, and visceral yolk sac placenta, while iron was most abundant in the placental disc, and l-fucose-containing surface glycans were limited to the visceral yolk sac placenta. These 3 individual factors, along with progesterone and estradiol, were evaluated for effects on growth and chemotaxis of C. jejuni. Mucin, iron, and l-fucose were growth promoting, while l-fucose was also chemoattractive for both strains. Progesterone, estradiol, and pregnant guinea pig plasma did not affect growth or chemotaxis, and no difference was observed when bile from pregnant and nonpregnant animals was compared. These findings demonstrate the presence of specific factors within the guinea pig placental unit that drive chemotaxis and enhance growth of C. jejuni, shedding light on potential mechanisms underlying the fetoplacental tropism observed with this strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. R. Burrough
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
- Current address: Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - Z. Wu
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - O. Sahin
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - Q. Zhang
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - M. J. Yaeger
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
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90
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Analysis of the LIV system of Campylobacter jejuni reveals alternative roles for LivJ and LivK in commensalism beyond branched-chain amino acid transport. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:6233-43. [PMID: 21949065 DOI: 10.1128/jb.05473-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of diarrheal disease in humans and an intestinal commensal in poultry and other agriculturally important animals. These zoonotic infections result in significant amounts of C. jejuni present in the food supply to contribute to disease in humans. We previously found that a transposon insertion in Cjj81176_1038, encoding a homolog of the Escherichia coli LivJ periplasmic binding protein of the leucine, isoleucine, and valine (LIV) branched-chain amino acid transport system, reduced the commensal colonization capacity of C. jejuni 81-176 in chicks. Cjj81176_1038 is the first gene of a six-gene locus that encodes homologous components of the E. coli LIV system. By analyzing mutants with in-frame deletions of individual genes or pairs of genes, we found that this system constitutes a LIV transport system in C. jejuni responsible for a high level of leucine acquisition and, to a lesser extent, isoleucine and valine acquisition. Despite each LIV protein being required for branched-chain amino acid transport, only the LivJ and LivK periplasmic binding proteins were required for wild-type levels of commensal colonization of chicks. All LIV permease and ATPase components were dispensable for in vivo growth. These results suggest that the biological functions of LivJ and LivK for colonization are more complex than previously hypothesized and extend beyond a role for binding and acquiring branched-chain amino acids during commensalism. In contrast to other studies indicating a requirement and utilization of other specific amino acids for colonization, acquisition of branched-chain amino acids does not appear to be a determinant for C. jejuni during commensalism.
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91
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L-fucose utilization provides Campylobacter jejuni with a competitive advantage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:7194-9. [PMID: 21482772 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1014125108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a prevalent gastrointestinal pathogen in humans and a common commensal of poultry. When colonizing its hosts, C. jejuni comes into contact with intestinal carbohydrates, including L-fucose, released from mucin glycoproteins. Several strains of C. jejuni possess a genomic island (cj0480c-cj0490) that is up-regulated in the presence of both L-fucose and mucin and allows for the utilization of L-fucose as a substrate for growth. Strains possessing this genomic island show increased growth in the presence of L-fucose and mutation of cj0481, cj0486, and cj0487 results in the loss of the ability to grow on this substrate. Furthermore, mutants in the putative fucose permease (cj0486) are deficient in fucose uptake and demonstrate a competitive disadvantage when colonizing the piglet model of human disease, which is not paralleled in the colonization of poultry. This identifies a previously unrecorded metabolic pathway in select strains of C. jejuni associated with a virulent lifestyle.
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