Iron acquisition in the dental pathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans: what does it use as a source and how does it get this essential metal?

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans: From the Oral Cavity to the Heart Valves

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetecomitans) is a Gram-negative bacterial species that is an essential component of the oral microbiota. Due to its aggregative properties, it plays a role in the pathogenesis of human diseases. The presence of the surface proteins Fim, Briae, and microvesicles enables the bacterium to adhere to the epithelial surface and the tooth's surface. The presence of leukotoxin A (LtxA), which plays an important role in the pathogenicity of the bacterium, has been associated with both periodontitis and the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A. actinomycetecomitans is also associated with several other systemic diseases and complications, such as endocarditis and different abscesses. In addition to leukotoxin A, A. actinomycetecomitans possesses several different virulence factors, including bacteriocins, chemotaxis inhibitory factors, cytotoxic factors, Fc-binding proteins, immunosuppressive factors, lipopolysaccharide collagenase, fibroblast inhibitory factors, antibiotic resistance determinants, adhesins, invasive factors and factors that inhibit the function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The ability of A. actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide to induce macrophages to secrete the interleukins IL-1, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is of considerable importance. The primary etiologic factor in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease is the oral biofilm colonized by anaerobic bacteria. Among these, A. actinomycetemcomitans occupies an important place as a facultative anaerobic bacterium. In addition, A. actinomycetemcomitans possesses many virulence factors that contribute to its potential to cause cancer. This article provides an overview of the virulence factors of A. actinomycetecomitans and its association with various systemic diseases, its oncogenic potential, and the treatment options for infections caused by A. actinomycetecomitans.

The Hunger Games: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Exploits Human Neutrophils As an Epinephrine Source for Survival

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a gram-negative facultative anaerobe and an opportunistic oral pathogen, strongly associated with periodontitis and other inflammatory diseases. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of the periodontium resulting from the inflammatory response of the host towards the dysbiotic microbial community present at the gingival crevice. Previously, our group identified catecholamines and iron as the signals that activate the QseBC two-component system in A. actinomycetemcomitans, necessary for the organism to acquire iron as a nutrient to survive in the anaerobic environment. However, the source of catecholamines has not been identified. It has been reported that mouse neutrophils can release catecholamines. In periodontitis, large infiltration of neutrophils is found at the subgingival pocket; hence, we wanted to test the hypothesis that A. actinomycetemcomitans exploits human neutrophils as a source for catecholamines. In the present study, we showed that human neutrophils synthesize, store, and release epinephrine, one of the three main types of catecholamines. Human neutrophil challenge with A. actinomycetemcomitans induced exocytosis of neutrophil granule subtypes: secretory vesicles, specific granules, gelatinase granules, and azurophilic granules. In addition, by selectively inhibiting granule exocytosis, we present the first evidence that epinephrine is stored in azurophilic granules. Using QseC mutants, we showed that the periplasmic domain of the QseC sensor kinase is required for the interaction between A. actinomycetemcomitans and epinephrine. Finally, epinephrine-containing supernatants collected from human neutrophils promoted A. actinomycetemcomitans growth and induced the expression of the qseBC operon under anaerobic conditions. Based on our findings, we propose that A. actinomycetemcomitans promotes azurophilic granule exocytosis by neutrophils as an epinephrine source to promote bacterial survival.

Expression of virulence factors under different environmental conditions in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a facultative anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium associated with periodontal diseases, especially aggressive periodontitis. The virulence factors of this pathogen, including adhesins, exotoxins, and endotoxin, have been extensively studied. However, little is known about their gene expression mode in the host. Herein, we investigated whether culture conditions reflecting in vivo environments, including serum and saliva, alter expression levels of virulence genes in the strain HK1651, a JP2 clone. Under aerobic conditions, addition of calf serum (CS) into a general medium induced high expression of two outer membrane proteins (omp100 and omp64). The high expression of omp100 and omp64 was also induced by an iron-limited medium. RNA-seq analysis showed that the gene expressions of several factors involved in iron acquisition were increased in the CS-containing medium. When HK1651 was grown on agar plates, genes encoding many virulence factors, including the Omps, cytolethal distending toxin, and leukotoxin, were differentially expressed. Then, we investigated their expression in five other A. actinomycetemcomitans strains grown in general and CS-containing media. The expression pattern of virulence factors varied among strains. Compared with the other five strains, HK1561 showed high expression of omp29 regardless of the CS addition, while the gene expression of leukotoxin in HK1651 was higher only in the medium without CS. HK1651 showed reduced biofilm in both CS- and saliva-containing media. Coaggregation with Fusobacterium nucleatum was remarkably enhanced using HK1651 grown in the CS-containing medium. Our results indicate that the expression of virulence factors is altered by adaptation to different conditions during infection.

Comparative analysis of the oral microbiota between iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) patients and healthy individuals by high-throughput sequencing

Background

The relationship between oral microbiota and IE (infective endocarditis) is well established. Opportunistic pathogens in normal oral flora enter the bloodstream through daily oral cleaning or invasive dental procedures, leading to the occurrence of infective endocarditis. An in vitro iron-deficient condition leads to a drastic community shift in oral microbiota with increasing proportions of taxa related to infective endocarditis. To investigate the relationship among insufficient iron supply, oral microbiota and the risk of IE and to conduct a population amplification study, iron-deficiency anaemia is used as an in vivo model.

Methods

This cross-sectional study enrolled 24 primary iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) patients from 2015.6 to 2016.6 from the hematology department of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and 24 healthy controls. High-throughput sequencing compared the dental plaque microbiota of 24 IDA (iron-deficiency anaemia) patients and 24 healthy controls.

Results

Sequences were classified into 12 phyla, 28 classes, 50 orders, 161 genera and 497 OTUs (the IDA and control groups shared the same 384 OTUs). Iron deficiency leads to lower internal diversity in the oral flora. The abundances of genera Corynebacterium, Neisseria, Cardiobacterium, Capnocytophaga, and Aggregatibacter were significantly higher in healthy controls, while genera Lactococcus, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas and Moraxella showed higher proportions in the IDA group (P < 0.05). The relative abundances of genera Lactococcus, Enterococcus, Pseudomonas and Moraxella were significantly negatively correlated with the concentration of serum ferritin (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Without an increase of oral streptococci, the main pathogen of IE, it is difficult to determine whether IDA can increase the risk of IE. However, the iron-deficient condition did lead to changes in the oral microbiota community structure. The genera that showed higher proportions in the IDA group were frequently reported as antibiotic-resistant. As antibiotics are commonly recommended to prevent IE before dental procedures, this study offers new ideas of personalized prevention of IE.

Himar1 Transposon for Efficient Random Mutagenesis in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is the primary etiological agent of aggressive periodontal disease. Identification of novel virulence factors at the genome-wide level is hindered by lack of efficient genetic tools to perform mutagenesis in this organism. The Himar1 mariner transposon is known to yield a random distribution of insertions in an organism’s genome with requirement for only a TA dinucleotide target and is independent of host-specific factors. However, the utility of this system in A. actinomycetemcomitans is unknown. In this study, we found that Himar1 transposon mutagenesis occurs at a high frequency (×10^-4), and can be universally applied to wild-type A. actinomycetemcomitans strains of serotypes a, b, and c. The Himar1 transposon inserts were stably inherited in A. actinomycetemcomitans transconjugants in the absence of antibiotics. A library of 16,000 mutant colonies of A. actinomycetemcomitans was screened for reduced biofilm formation. Mutants with transposon inserts in genes encoding pilus, putative ion transporters, multidrug resistant proteins, transcription regulators and enzymes involved in the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substance, bacterial metabolism and stress response were discovered in this screen. Our results demonstrated the utility of the Himar1 mutagenesis system as a novel genetic tool for functional genomic analysis in A. actinomycetemcomitans.

Proteomic shifts in multi-species oral biofilms caused by Anaeroglobus geminatus

Anaeroglobus geminatus is a relatively newly discovered putative pathogen, with a potential role in the microbial shift associated with periodontitis, a disease that causes inflammatory destruction of the periodontal tissues, and eventually tooth loss. This study aimed to introduce A. geminatus into a polymicrobial biofilm model of relevance to periodontitis, and monitor the proteomic responses exerted to the rest of the biofilm community. A. geminatus was grown together with another 10-species in a well-established "subgingival" in vitro biofilm model. Its effects on the other species were quantitatively evaluated by qPCR and label-free proteomics. A. geminatus caused a significant increase in P. intermedia numbers, but not the other species in the biofilm. Whole cell proteome profiling of the biofilms by LC-MS/MS identified a total of 3213 proteins. Label-free quantitative proteomics revealed that 187 proteins belonging to the other 10 species were differentially abundant when A. geminatus was present in the biofilm. The species with most up-regulated and down-regulated proteins were P. intermedia and S. oralis, respectively. Regulated proteins were of primarily of ribosomal origin, and other affected categories involved proteolysis, carbon metabolism and iron transport. In conclusion, A. geminatus can be successfully grown in a polymicrobial biofilm community, causing quantitative proteomic shifts commensurate with increased virulence properties.

Global Dynamic Proteome Study of a Pellicle-forming Acinetobacter baumannii Strain

For several decades, many bacteria, among which A. baumannii, have shown their ability to colonize the upper surface of static liquids, forming a biofilm at the air-liquid interface named pellicle. Despite the ubiquity of these pellicles in both natural and artificial environments, few studies have investigated this biofilm type. The present data set provides the first description of the whole proteome of A. baumannii cells grown as pellicle, using a label-free mass spectrometry approach. Results are in accord with the general findings reporting that sessile bacteria are far more resistant to detrimental conditions than their planktonic counterparts, by the accumulation of stress proteins. The present investigation also confirmed previous studies suggesting a correlation between the pellicle forming ability and the bacterial virulence. Indeed, we showed the up-regulation of numerous virulence factors during the pellicle growth, e.g. phospholipases, adhesion factors, as well as those of the GacAS Two-Component System (TCS) and Type 6 Secretion System (T6SS). We also highlighted that Bam and Tam systems, both related to the OM insertion machinery, play a critical role during pellicle biogenesis. Moreover, sessile bacteria activate several pathways, e.g. iron, magnesium, phosphate pathways, which allows for increasing the panel of nutrient sources.

Microbial Community Composition Impacts Pathogen Iron Availability during Polymicrobial Infection

Iron is an essential nutrient for bacterial pathogenesis, but in the host, iron is tightly sequestered, limiting its availability for bacterial growth. Although this is an important arm of host immunity, most studies examine how bacteria respond to iron restriction in laboratory rather than host settings, where the microbiome can potentially alter pathogen strategies for acquiring iron. One of the most important transcriptional regulators controlling bacterial iron homeostasis is Fur. Here we used a combination of RNA-seq and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq to characterize the iron-restricted and Fur regulons of the biofilm-forming opportunistic pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. We discovered that iron restriction and Fur regulate 4% and 3.5% of the genome, respectively. While most genes in these regulons were related to iron uptake and metabolism, we found that Fur also directly regulates the biofilm-dispersing enzyme Dispersin B, allowing A. actinomycetemcomitans to escape from iron-scarce environments. We then leveraged these datasets to assess the availability of iron to A. actinomycetemcomitans in its primary infection sites, abscesses and the oral cavity. We found that A. actinomycetemcomitans is not restricted for iron in a murine abscess mono-infection, but becomes restricted for iron upon co-infection with the oral commensal Streptococcus gordonii. Furthermore, in the transition from health to disease in human gum infection, A. actinomycetemcomitans also becomes restricted for iron. These results suggest that host iron availability is heterogeneous and dependent on the infecting bacterial community.

One of the most well-studied phenomena in microbiology is nutritional immunity, or how the host withholds nutrients such as iron to combat infection. As part of this, researchers have characterized how many pathogens respond to iron restriction. However, these studies are often conducted in laboratory media rather than the host. As a result, they overlook how the host environment, such as its microbiome, might alter pathogen behavior regarding iron during infection. To address this gap, we used an opportunistic pathogen that causes abscess and oral cavity infections. We defined how it responds to iron restriction in vitro and then used this data to assess its iron status in vivo. Our results show that in mono-culture abscesses the pathogen is not starved for iron but in co-culture abscesses and multispecies gum disease it is starved for iron. Therefore, host environments are not uniformly restricted for iron, and the microbiome can modulate iron availability to pathogens.

Dysbiosis by neutralizing commensal mediated inhibition of pathobionts

Dysbiosis in the periodontal microbiota is associated with the development of periodontal diseases. Little is known about the initiation of dysbiosis. It was hypothesized that some commensal bacteria suppress the outgrowth of pathobionts by H₂O₂ production. However, serum and blood components released due to inflammation can neutralize this suppressive effect, leading to the initiation of dysbiosis. Agar plate, dual-species and multi-species ecology experiments showed that H₂O₂ production by commensal bacteria decreases pathobiont growth and colonization. Peroxidase and blood components neutralize this inhibitory effect primarily by an exogenous peroxidase activity without stimulating growth and biofilm formation of pathobionts directly. In multi-species environments, neutralization of H₂O₂ resulted in 2 to 3 log increases in pathobionts, a hallmark for dysbiosis. Our data show that in oral biofilms, commensal species suppress the amounts of pathobionts by H₂O₂ production. Inflammation can neutralize this effect and thereby initiates dysbiosis by allowing the outgrowth of pathobionts.

Removal of black stains from teeth by photodynamic therapy: clinical and microbiological analysis

Black-pigmented bacteria (BPB) are Gram-negative anaerobic, non-motile, proteolytic rods strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Although pigments are produced in vitro, black pigmentation is rarely found clinically. However, it may compromise aesthetics and contribute to gingival inflammation. The aim of this report is to describe a clinical case of a 10-year-old boy showing black pigmentation covering all teeth and to propose an alternative therapy for removal of black pigmentation, based on photodynamic therapy (PDT). In order to perform microbiological analysis, plaque samples were collected before and after PDT, and analysed by real-time-PCR (RT-PCR). The results showed a significant reduction in BPB levels after therapy, along with clinical evidence of absence of black pigmentation and reduction in gingival bleeding, although the plaque index remained unaltered. This case showed that PDT is effective for eliminating black pigmentation caused by BPB, without recurrence during a follow-up period of 7 months.

Quantitative proteomics reveal distinct protein regulations caused by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans within subgingival biofilms

Periodontitis is an infectious disease that causes the inflammatory destruction of the tooth-supporting (periodontal) tissues, caused by polymicrobial biofilm communities growing on the tooth surface. Aggressive periodontitis is strongly associated with the presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in the subgingival biofilms. Nevertheless, whether and how A. actinomycetemcomitans orchestrates molecular changes within the biofilm is unclear. The aim of this work was to decipher the interactions between A. actinomycetemcomitans and other bacterial species in a multi-species biofilm using proteomic analysis. An in vitro 10-species "subgingival" biofilm model, or its derivative that included additionally A. actinomycetemcomitans, were anaerobically cultivated on hydroxyapatite discs for 64 h. When present, A. actinomycetemcomitans formed dense intra-species clumps within the biofilm mass, and did not affect the numbers of the other species in the biofilm. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify the proteomic content of the biofilm lysate. A total of 3225 and 3352 proteins were identified in the biofilm, in presence or absence of A. actinomycetemcomitans, respectively. Label-free quantitative proteomics revealed that 483 out of the 728 quantified bacterial proteins (excluding those of A. actinomycetemcomitans) were accordingly regulated. Interestingly, all quantified proteins from Prevotella intermedia were up-regulated, and most quantified proteins from Campylobacter rectus, Streptococcus anginosus, and Porphyromonas gingivalis were down-regulated in presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans. Enrichment of Gene Ontology pathway analysis showed that the regulated groups of proteins were responsible primarily for changes in the metabolic rate, the ferric iron-binding, and the 5S RNA binding capacities, on the universal biofilm level. While the presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans did not affect the numeric composition or absolute protein numbers of the other biofilm species, it caused qualitative changes in their overall protein expression profile. These molecular shifts within the biofilm warrant further investigation on their potential impact on its virulence properties, and association with periodontal pathogenesis.

Community-wide transcriptome of the oral microbiome in subjects with and without periodontitis

Despite increasing knowledge on phylogenetic composition of the human microbiome, our understanding of the in situ activities of the organisms in the community and their interactions with each other and with the environment remains limited. Characterizing gene expression profiles of the human microbiome is essential for linking the role of different members of the bacterial communities in health and disease. The oral microbiome is one of the most complex microbial communities in the human body and under certain circumstances, not completely understood, the healthy microbial community undergoes a transformation toward a pathogenic state that gives rise to periodontitis, a polymicrobial inflammatory disease. We report here the in situ genome-wide transcriptome of the subgingival microbiome in six periodontally healthy individuals and seven individuals with periodontitis. The overall picture of metabolic activities showed that iron acquisition, lipopolysaccharide synthesis and flagellar synthesis were major activities defining disease. Unexpectedly, the vast majority of virulence factors upregulated in subjects with periodontitis came from organisms that are not considered major periodontal pathogens. One of the organisms whose gene expression profile was characterized was the uncultured candidate division TM7, showing an upregulation of putative virulence factors in the diseased community. These data enhance understanding of the core activities that are characteristic of periodontal disease as well as the role that individual organisms in the subgingival community play in periodontitis.

Role and regulation of heme iron acquisition in gram-negative pathogens

Bacteria that reside in animal tissues and/or cells must acquire iron from their host. However, almost all of the host iron is sequestered in iron-containing compounds and proteins, the majority of which is found within heme molecules. Thus, likely iron sources for bacterial pathogens (and non-pathogenic symbionts) are free heme and heme-containing proteins. Furthermore, the cellular location of the bacterial within the host (intra or extracellular) influences the amount and nature of the iron containing compounds available for transport. The low level of free iron in the host, coupled with the presence of numerous different heme sources, has resulted in a wide range of high-affinity iron acquisition strategies within bacteria. However, since excess iron and heme are toxic to bacteria, expression of these acquisition systems is highly regulated. Precise expression in the correct host environment at the appropriate times enables heme iron acquisitions systems to contribute to the growth of bacterial pathogens within the host. This mini-review will highlight some of the recent findings in these areas for gram-negative pathogens.

Environmental stimuli shape biofilm formation and the virulence of periodontal pathogens

Periodontitis is a common inflammatory disease affecting the tooth-supporting structures. It is initiated by bacteria growing as a biofilm at the gingival margin, and communication of the biofilms differs in health and disease. The bacterial composition of periodontitis-associated biofilms has been well documented and is under continual investigation. However, the roles of several host response and inflammation driven environmental stimuli on biofilm formation is not well understood. This review article addresses the effects of environmental factors such as pH, temperature, cytokines, hormones, and oxidative stress on periodontal biofilm formation and bacterial virulence.

Functional features of TonB energy transduction systems of Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen that causes severe nosocomial infections. Strain ATCC 19606(T) utilizes the siderophore acinetobactin to acquire iron under iron-limiting conditions encountered in the host. Accordingly, the genome of this strain has three tonB genes encoding proteins for energy transduction functions needed for the active transport of nutrients, including iron, through the outer membrane. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that these tonB genes, which are present in the genomes of all sequenced A. baumannii strains, were acquired from different sources. Two of these genes occur as components of tonB-exbB-exbD operons and one as a monocistronic copy; all are actively transcribed in ATCC 19606(T). The abilities of components of these TonB systems to complement the growth defect of Escherichia coli W3110 mutants KP1344 (tonB) and RA1051 (exbBD) under iron-chelated conditions further support the roles of these TonB systems in iron acquisition. Mutagenesis analysis of ATCC 19606(T) tonB1 (subscripted numbers represent different copies of genes or proteins) and tonB2 supports this hypothesis: their inactivation results in growth defects in iron-chelated media, without affecting acinetobactin biosynthesis or the production of the acinetobactin outer membrane receptor protein BauA. In vivo assays using Galleria mellonella show that each TonB protein is involved in, but not essential for, bacterial virulence in this infection model. Furthermore, we observed that TonB2 plays a role in the ability of bacteria to bind to fibronectin and to adhere to A549 cells by uncharacterized mechanisms. Taken together, these results indicate that A. baumannii ATCC 19606(T) produces three independent TonB proteins, which appear to provide the energy-transducing functions needed for iron acquisition and cellular processes that play a role in the virulence of this pathogen.

Novel iron-regulated and Fur-regulated small regulatory RNAs in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Iron can regulate biofilm formation via non-coding small RNA (sRNA). To determine if iron-regulated sRNAs are involved in biofilm formation by the periodontopathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, total RNA was isolated from bacteria cultured with iron supplementation or chelation. Transcriptional analysis demonstrated that the expression of four sRNA molecules (JA01-JA04) identified by bioinformatics was significantly upregulated in iron-limited medium compared with iron-rich medium. A DNA fragment encoding each sRNA promoter was able to titrate Escherichia coli ferric uptake regulator (Fur) from a Fur-repressible reporter fusion in an iron uptake regulator titration assay. Cell lysates containing recombinant AaFur shifted the mobility of sRNA-specific DNAs in a gel shift assay. Potential targets of these sRNAs, determined in silico, included genes involved in biofilm formation. The A. actinomycetemcomitans overexpressing JA03 sRNA maintained a rough phenotype on agar, but no longer adhered to uncoated polystyrene or glass, although biofilm determinant gene expression was only modestly decreased. In summary, these sRNAs have the ability to modulate biofilm formation, but their functional target genes remain to be confirmed.

Transcriptome analysis of pellicle formation of Shewanella oneidensis

Although the pellicle is one of the major growth modes of microorganisms, the metabolic features of pellicle cells and the determinative factors for pellicle formation are largely unknown. In recent years, biofilm development of Shewanella oneidensis, an important model organism for bioremediation studies, has been extensively studied. In this paper, a transcriptional profiling of pellicle cells relative to planktonic cells indicated that cells in pellicles were more metabolically active than the planktonic cells. Most notably, up-transcription of general secretion system proteins and iron/heme uptake and transport proteins was observed in pellicle cells. Unexpectedly, neither the hmuT nor hugA heme transport mutant exhibited a significant defect in pellicle formation. Expectedly, three type I secretion system mutants were severely deficient in pellicle formation, suggesting an essential role of these proteins.

In vitro activity of deferoxamine against Porphyromonas gingivalis

Deferoxamine (DFO), an FDA-approved iron chelator used for treatment of iron poisoning, affects bacteria as iron availability is intimately connected with growth and several virulence determinants. However, little is known about the effect on oral pathogens. In this study, the effect of DFO on Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major periodontopathogen which has an essential growth requirement for hemin (Fe(3+)-protoporphyrin IX), was evaluated. The viability of P. gingivalis W83 was not affected by 0.06-0.24 mM DFO, whereas the doubling time of the bacterium was considerably prolonged by DFO. The inhibitory effect was evident at earlier stages of growth and reduced by supplemental iron. UV-visible spectra using the pigments from P. gingivalis cells grown on blood agar showed that DFO inhibited μ-oxo bisheme formation by the bacterium. DFO decreased accumulation and energy-driven uptake of hemin by P. gingivalis. Antibacterial effect of H(2)O(2) and metronidazole against P. gingivalis increased in the presence of DFO. Collectively, DFO is effective for hemin deprivation in P. gingivalis suppressing the growth and increasing the susceptibility of the bacterium to other antimicrobial agents such as H(2)O(2) and metronidazole. Further experiments are necessary to show that DFO may be used as a therapeutic agent for periodontal disease.

Legionella pneumophila LbtU acts as a novel, TonB-independent receptor for the legiobactin siderophore

Gram-negative Legionella pneumophila produces a siderophore (legiobactin) that promotes lung infection. We previously determined that lbtA and lbtB are required for the synthesis and secretion of legiobactin. DNA sequence and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analyses now reveal the presence of an iron-repressed gene (lbtU) directly upstream of the lbtAB-containing operon. In silico analysis predicted that LbtU is an outer membrane protein consisting of a 16-stranded transmembrane β-barrel, multiple extracellular domains, and short periplasmic tails. Immunoblot analysis of cell fractions confirmed an outer membrane location for LbtU. Although replicating normally in standard media, lbtU mutants, like lbtA mutants, were impaired for growth on iron-depleted agar media. While producing typical levels of legiobactin, lbtU mutants were unable to use supplied legiobactin to stimulate growth on iron-depleted media and displayed an inability to take up iron. Complemented lbtU mutants behaved as the wild type did. The lbtU mutants were also impaired for infection in a legiobactin-dependent manner. Together, these data indicate that LbtU is involved in the uptake of legiobactin and, based upon its location, is most likely the Legionella siderophore receptor. The sequence and predicted two-dimensional (2D) and 3D structures of LbtU were distinct from those of all known siderophore receptors, which generally contain a 22-stranded β-barrel and an extended N terminus that binds TonB in order to transduce energy from the inner membrane. This observation coupled with the fact that L. pneumophila does not encode TonB suggests that LbtU is a new type of receptor that participates in a form of iron uptake that is mechanistically distinct from the existing paradigm.

Transferrin as a source of iron for Campylobacter rectus

Background and Objective

Campylobacter rectus is considered as one of the bacterial species of etiological importance in periodontitis. Iron-containing proteins such as transferrin are found in periodontal sites and may serve as a source of iron for periodontopathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of C. rectus to assimilate transferrin-bound iron to support its growth.

Design

Growth studies were performed in broth media pretreated with an iron-chelating resin and supplemented with various iron sources. The uptake of iron by C. rectus was monitored using ⁵⁵Fe-transferrin. Transferrin-binding activity was assessed using a microplate assay while the degradation of transferrin and iron removal was evaluated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A colorimetric assay was used to determine ferric reductase activity.

Results

Holotransferrin (iron-saturated form) but not apotransferrin (iron-free form) was found to support growth of C. rectus in an iron-restricted culture medium. Incubation of holotransferrin with cells of C. rectus resulted in removal of iron from the protein. A time dependent intracellular uptake of iron by C. rectus cells from ⁵⁵Fe-transferrin was demonstrated. This uptake was significantly increased when bacteria were grown under an iron-limiting condition. Cells of C. rectus did not show transferrin-binding activity or proteolytic activity toward transferrin. However, a surface-associated ferric reductase activity was demonstrated.

Conclusion

To survive and multiply in periodontal sites, periodontopathogens must possess efficient iron-scavenging mechanisms. In this study, we showed the capacity of C. rectus to assimilate iron from transferrin to support its growth. The uptake of iron appears to be dependent on a ferric reductive pathway.

The role of iron uptake in pathogenicity and symbiosis in Photorhabdus luminescens TT01

Background

Photorhabdus are Gram negative bacteria that are pathogenic to insect larvae whilst also having a mutualistic interaction with nematodes from the family Heterorhabditis. Iron is an essential nutrient and bacteria have different mechanisms for obtaining both the ferrous (Fe²⁺) and ferric (Fe³⁺) forms of this metal from their environments. In this study we were interested in analyzing the role of Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ iron uptake systems in the ability of Photorhabdus to interact with its invertebrate hosts.

Results

We constructed targeted deletion mutants of exbD, feoABC and yfeABCD in P. luminescens TT01. The exbD mutant was predicted to be crippled in its ability to obtain Fe³⁺ and we show that this mutant does not grow well in iron-limited media. We also show that this mutant was avirulent to the insect but was unaffected in its symbiotic interaction with Heterorhabditis. Furthermore we show that a mutation in feoABC (encoding a predicted Fe²⁺ permease) was unaffected in both virulence and symbiosis whilst the divalent cation transporter encoded by yfeABCD is required for virulence in the Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera) but not in the Greater Wax Moth, Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera). Moreover the Yfe transporter also appears to have a role during colonization of the IJ stage of the nematode.

Conclusion

In this study we show that iron uptake (via the TonB complex and the Yfe transporter) is important for the virulence of P. luminescens to insect larvae. Moreover this study also reveals that the Yfe transporter appears to be involved in Mn²⁺-uptake during growth in the gut lumen of the IJ nematode. Therefore, the Yfe transporter in P. luminescens TT01 is important during colonization of both the insect and nematode and, moreover, the metal ion transported by this pathway is host-dependent.

Autoinducer-2 and QseC control biofilm formation and in vivo virulence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Biofilm formation by the periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is dependent upon autoinducer-2 (AI-2)-mediated quorum sensing. However, the components that link the detection of the AI-2 signal to downstream gene expression have not been determined. One potential regulator is the QseBC two-component system, which is part of the AI-2-dependent response pathway that controls biofilm formation in Escherichia coli. Here we show that the expression of QseBC in A. actinomycetemcomitans is induced by AI-2 and that induction requires the AI-2 receptors, LsrB and/or RbsB. Additionally, inactivation of qseC resulted in reduced biofilm growth. Since the ability to grow in biofilms is essential for A. actinomycetemcomitans virulence, strains that were deficient in QseC or the AI-2 receptors were examined in an in vivo mouse model of periodontitis. The DeltaqseC mutant induced significantly less alveolar bone resorption than the wild-type strain (P < 0.02). Bone loss in animals infected with the DeltaqseC strain was similar to that in sham-infected animals. The DeltalsrB, DeltarbsB, and DeltalsrB DeltarbsB strains also induced significantly less alveolar bone resorption than the wild type (P < 0.03, P < 0.02, and P < 0.01, respectively). However, bone loss induced by a DeltaluxS strain was indistinguishable from that induced by the wild type, suggesting that AI-2 produced by indigenous microflora in the murine oral cavity may complement the DeltaluxS mutation. Together, these results suggest that the QseBC two-component system is part of the AI-2 regulon and may link the detection of AI-2 to the regulation of downstream cellular processes that are involved in biofilm formation and virulence of A. actinomycetemcomitans.

Proteomic analysis of Acinetobacter baumannii in biofilm and planktonic growth mode

Recently, multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii have been found to have a high capacity to form biofilm. It is well known that bacterial cells within biofilms are highly resistant to antibiotics, UV light, acid exposure, dehydration, and phagocytosis in comparison to their planktonic counterparts, which suggests that the cells in a biofilm have altered metabolic activity. To determine which proteins are up-regulated in A. baumannii biofilm cells, we performed a proteomic analysis. A clinical isolate of A. baumannii 1656-2, which was characterized to have a high biofilm forming ability, was cultivated under biofilm and planktonic conditions. Outer membrane enriched A. baumannii 1656-2 proteins were separated by two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis and the differentially expressed proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The proteins up-regulated or expressed only in biofilm cells of A. baumannii are categorized as follows: (i) proteins processing environmental information such as the outer membrane receptor protein involved in mostly Fe transport, a sensor histidine kinase/response regulator, and diguanylate cyclase (PAS-GGEDF-EAL domain); (ii) proteins involved in metabolism such as NAD-linked malate dehydrogenase, nucleoside-diphosphate sugar epimerase, putative GalE, ProFAR isomerase, and N-acetylmuramoyl-L: -alanine amidase; (iii) bacterial antibiotic resistance related proteins; and (iv) proteins related to gene repair such as exodeoxyribonuclease III and GidA. This proteomic analysis provides a fundamental platform for further studies to reveal the role of biofilm in the persistence and tolerance of A. baumannii.

Complete genome sequence of Aggregatibacter (Haemophilus) aphrophilus NJ8700

We report the finished and annotated genome sequence of Aggregatibacter aphrophilus strain NJ8700, a strain isolated from the oral flora of a healthy individual, and discuss characteristics that may affect its dual roles in human health and disease. This strain has a rough appearance, and its genome contains genes encoding a type VI secretion system and several factors that may participate in host colonization.