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Oberkampf M, Hamiot A, Altamirano-Silva P, Bellés-Sancho P, Tremblay YDN, DiBenedetto N, Seifert R, Soutourina O, Bry L, Dupuy B, Peltier J. c-di-AMP signaling is required for bile salt resistance, osmotolerance, and long-term host colonization by Clostridioides difficile. Sci Signal 2022; 15:eabn8171. [PMID: 36067333 PMCID: PMC9831359 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abn8171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
To colonize the host and cause disease, the human enteropathogen Clostridioides difficile must sense, respond, and adapt to the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract. We showed that the production and degradation of cyclic diadenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) were necessary during different phases of C. difficile growth, environmental adaptation, and infection. The production of this nucleotide second messenger was essential for growth because it controlled the uptake of potassium and also contributed to biofilm formation and cell wall homeostasis, whereas its degradation was required for osmotolerance and resistance to detergents and bile salts. The c-di-AMP binding transcription factor BusR repressed the expression of genes encoding the compatible solute transporter BusAA-AB. Compared with the parental strain, a mutant lacking BusR was more resistant to hyperosmotic and bile salt stresses, whereas a mutant lacking BusAA was more susceptible. A short exposure of C. difficile cells to bile salts decreased intracellular c-di-AMP concentrations, suggesting that changes in membrane properties induce alterations in the intracellular c-di-AMP concentration. A C. difficile strain that could not degrade c-di-AMP failed to persist in a mouse gut colonization model as long as the wild-type strain did. Thus, the production and degradation of c-di-AMP in C. difficile have pleiotropic effects, including the control of osmolyte uptake to confer osmotolerance and bile salt resistance, and its degradation is important for host colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Oberkampf
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR-CNRS 6047, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Audrey Hamiot
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR-CNRS 6047, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Pamela Altamirano-Silva
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Paula Bellés-Sancho
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR-CNRS 6047, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Yannick D. N. Tremblay
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR-CNRS 6047, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Nicholas DiBenedetto
- Massachusetts Host-Microbiome Center, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roland Seifert
- Institute of Pharmacology and Research Core Unit Metabolomics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Olga Soutourina
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Lynn Bry
- Massachusetts Host-Microbiome Center, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bruno Dupuy
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR-CNRS 6047, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Johann Peltier
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR-CNRS 6047, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Boudry P, Piattelli E, Drouineau E, Peltier J, Boutserin A, Lejars M, Hajnsdorf E, Monot M, Dupuy B, Martin-Verstraete I, Gautheret D, Toffano-Nioche C, Soutourina O. Identification of RNAs bound by Hfq reveals widespread RNA partners and a sporulation regulator in the human pathogen Clostridioides difficile. RNA Biol 2021; 18:1931-1952. [PMID: 33629931 PMCID: PMC8583004 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2021.1882180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Noncoding RNAs (ncRNA) have emerged as important components of regulatory networks governing bacterial physiology and virulence. Previous deep-sequencing analysis identified a large diversity of ncRNAs in the human enteropathogen Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile. Some of them are trans-encoded RNAs that could require the RNA chaperone protein Hfq for their action. Recent analysis suggested a pleiotropic role of Hfq in C. difficile with the most pronounced effect on sporulation, a key process during the infectious cycle of this pathogen. However, a global view of RNAs interacting with C. difficile Hfq is missing. In the present study, we performed RNA immunoprecipitation high-throughput sequencing (RIP-Seq) to identify Hfq-associated RNAs in C. difficile. Our work revealed a large set of Hfq-interacting mRNAs and ncRNAs, including mRNA leaders and coding regions, known and potential new ncRNAs. In addition to trans-encoded RNAs, new categories of Hfq ligands were found including cis-antisense RNAs, riboswitches and CRISPR RNAs. ncRNA-mRNA and ncRNA-ncRNA pairings were postulated through computational predictions. Investigation of one of the Hfq-associated ncRNAs, RCd1, suggests that this RNA contributes to the control of late stages of sporulation in C. difficile. Altogether, these data provide essential molecular basis for further studies of post-transcriptional regulatory network in this enteropathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Boudry
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Emma Piattelli
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Emilie Drouineau
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Johann Peltier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Anaïs Boutserin
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Maxence Lejars
- UMR8261, CNRS, Université de Paris, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Paris, France
| | - Eliane Hajnsdorf
- UMR8261, CNRS, Université de Paris, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Paris, France
| | - Marc Monot
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Biomics Platform, C2RT, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Dupuy
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Martin-Verstraete
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Daniel Gautheret
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Claire Toffano-Nioche
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Olga Soutourina
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
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Peltier J, Hamiot A, Garneau JR, Boudry P, Maikova A, Hajnsdorf E, Fortier LC, Dupuy B, Soutourina O. Type I toxin-antitoxin systems contribute to the maintenance of mobile genetic elements in Clostridioides difficile. Commun Biol 2020; 3:718. [PMID: 33247281 PMCID: PMC7699646 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01448-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are widespread on mobile genetic elements and in bacterial chromosomes. In type I TA, synthesis of the toxin protein is prevented by the transcription of an antitoxin RNA. The first type I TA were recently identified in the human enteropathogen Clostridioides difficile. Here we report the characterization of five additional type I TA within phiCD630-1 (CD0977.1-RCd11, CD0904.1-RCd13 and CD0956.3-RCd14) and phiCD630-2 (CD2889-RCd12 and CD2907.2-RCd15) prophages of C. difficile strain 630. Toxin genes encode 34 to 47 amino acid peptides and their ectopic expression in C. difficile induces growth arrest that is neutralized by antitoxin RNA co-expression. We show that type I TA located within the phiCD630-1 prophage contribute to its stability and heritability. We have made use of a type I TA toxin gene to generate an efficient mutagenesis tool for this bacterium that allowed investigation of the role of these widespread TA in prophage maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johann Peltier
- Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, CNRS-2001, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, 75015, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Audrey Hamiot
- Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, CNRS-2001, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, 75015, Paris, France
- UMR UMET, INRA, CNRS, Univ. Lille 1, 59650, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Julian R Garneau
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, 3201 rue Jean Mignault, Sherbrooke, QC, J1E 4K8, Canada
| | - Pierre Boudry
- Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, CNRS-2001, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, 75015, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Anna Maikova
- Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, CNRS-2001, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, 75015, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, 143028, Russia
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint Petersburg, 195251, Russia
| | - Eliane Hajnsdorf
- Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, UMR8261, CNRS, Université de Paris, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Louis-Charles Fortier
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, 3201 rue Jean Mignault, Sherbrooke, QC, J1E 4K8, Canada
| | - Bruno Dupuy
- Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, CNRS-2001, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Olga Soutourina
- Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, CNRS-2001, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, 75015, Paris, France.
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France.
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Bervoets I, Charlier D. Diversity, versatility and complexity of bacterial gene regulation mechanisms: opportunities and drawbacks for applications in synthetic biology. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2019; 43:304-339. [PMID: 30721976 PMCID: PMC6524683 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene expression occurs in two essential steps: transcription and translation. In bacteria, the two processes are tightly coupled in time and space, and highly regulated. Tight regulation of gene expression is crucial. It limits wasteful consumption of resources and energy, prevents accumulation of potentially growth inhibiting reaction intermediates, and sustains the fitness and potential virulence of the organism in a fluctuating, competitive and frequently stressful environment. Since the onset of studies on regulation of enzyme synthesis, numerous distinct regulatory mechanisms modulating transcription and/or translation have been discovered. Mostly, various regulatory mechanisms operating at different levels in the flow of genetic information are used in combination to control and modulate the expression of a single gene or operon. Here, we provide an extensive overview of the very diverse and versatile bacterial gene regulatory mechanisms with major emphasis on their combined occurrence, intricate intertwinement and versatility. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of well-characterized basal expression and regulatory elements in synthetic biology applications, where they may ensure orthogonal, predictable and tunable expression of (heterologous) target genes and pathways, aiming at a minimal burden for the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indra Bervoets
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel Charlier
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Arato V, Gasperini G, Giusti F, Ferlenghi I, Scarselli M, Leuzzi R. Dual role of the colonization factor CD2831 in Clostridium difficile pathogenesis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5554. [PMID: 30944377 PMCID: PMC6447587 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42000-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, anaerobic bacterium and the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. C. difficile modulates its transition from a motile to a sessile lifestyle through a mechanism of riboswitches regulated by cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP). Previously described as a sortase substrate positively regulated by c-di-GMP, CD2831 was predicted to be a collagen-binding protein and thus potentially involved in sessility. By overexpressing CD2831 in C. difficile and heterologously expressing it on the surface of Lactococcus lactis, here we further demonstrated that CD2831 is a collagen-binding protein, able to bind to immobilized collagen types I, III and V as well as native collagen produced by human fibroblasts. We also observed that the overexpression of CD2831 raises the ability to form biofilm on abiotic surface in both C. difficile and L. lactis. Notably, we showed that CD2831 binds to the collagen-like domain of the human complement component C1q, suggesting a role in preventing complement cascade activation via the classical pathway. This functional characterization places CD2831 in the Microbial Surface Components Recognizing Adhesive Matrix Molecule (MSCRAMMs) family, a class of virulence factors with a dual role in adhesion to collagen-rich tissues and in host immune evasion by binding to human complement components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Arato
- Glaxo Smith Kline Vaccines, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100, Siena, Italy.,University of Padova, Department of Biomedical Sciences, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Gianmarco Gasperini
- GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health (GVGH), Via Fiorentina 1, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Fabiola Giusti
- Glaxo Smith Kline Vaccines, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Ilaria Ferlenghi
- Glaxo Smith Kline Vaccines, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Maria Scarselli
- Glaxo Smith Kline Vaccines, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Rosanna Leuzzi
- Glaxo Smith Kline Vaccines, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100, Siena, Italy.
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6
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Cyclic Diguanylate Regulates Virulence Factor Genes via Multiple Riboswitches in Clostridium difficile. mSphere 2018; 3:3/5/e00423-18. [PMID: 30355665 PMCID: PMC6200980 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00423-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In Clostridium difficile, the signaling molecule c-di-GMP regulates multiple processes affecting its ability to cause disease, including swimming and surface motility, biofilm formation, toxin production, and intestinal colonization. In this study, we used RNA-seq to define the transcriptional regulon of c-di-GMP in C. difficile. Many new targets of c-di-GMP regulation were identified, including multiple putative colonization factors. Transcriptional analyses revealed a prominent role for riboswitches in c-di-GMP signaling. Only a subset of the 16 previously predicted c-di-GMP riboswitches were functional in vivo and displayed potential variability in their response kinetics to c-di-GMP. This work underscores the importance of studying c-di-GMP riboswitches in a relevant biological context and highlights the role of the riboswitches in controlling gene expression in C. difficile. The intracellular signaling molecule cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) regulates many processes in bacteria, with a central role in controlling the switch between motile and nonmotile lifestyles. Recent work has shown that in Clostridium difficile (also called Clostridioides difficile), c-di-GMP regulates swimming and surface motility, biofilm formation, toxin production, and intestinal colonization. In this study, we determined the transcriptional regulon of c-di-GMP in C. difficile, employing overexpression of a diguanylate cyclase gene to artificially manipulate intracellular c-di-GMP. Consistent with prior work, c-di-GMP regulated the expression of genes involved in swimming and surface motility. c-di-GMP also affected the expression of multiple genes encoding cell envelope proteins, several of which affected biofilm formation in vitro. A substantial proportion of the c-di-GMP regulon appears to be controlled either directly or indirectly via riboswitches. We confirmed the functionality of 11 c-di-GMP riboswitches, demonstrating their effects on downstream gene expression independent of the upstream promoters. The class I riboswitches uniformly functioned as “off” switches in response to c-di-GMP, while class II riboswitches acted as “on” switches. Transcriptional analyses of genes 3′ of c-di-GMP riboswitches over a broad range of c-di-GMP levels showed that relatively modest changes in c-di-GMP levels are capable of altering gene transcription, with concomitant effects on microbial behavior. This work expands the known c-di-GMP signaling network in C. difficile and emphasizes the role of the riboswitches in controlling known and putative virulence factors in C. difficile. IMPORTANCE In Clostridium difficile, the signaling molecule c-di-GMP regulates multiple processes affecting its ability to cause disease, including swimming and surface motility, biofilm formation, toxin production, and intestinal colonization. In this study, we used RNA-seq to define the transcriptional regulon of c-di-GMP in C. difficile. Many new targets of c-di-GMP regulation were identified, including multiple putative colonization factors. Transcriptional analyses revealed a prominent role for riboswitches in c-di-GMP signaling. Only a subset of the 16 previously predicted c-di-GMP riboswitches were functional in vivo and displayed potential variability in their response kinetics to c-di-GMP. This work underscores the importance of studying c-di-GMP riboswitches in a relevant biological context and highlights the role of the riboswitches in controlling gene expression in C. difficile.
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