Complex transcriptional regulation of citrate metabolism in Clostridium perfringens

Cooperation of quorum sensing and central carbon metabolism in the pathogenesis of Gram-positive bacteria

Quorum sensing (QS), an integral component of bacterial communication, is essential in coordinating the collective response of diverse bacterial pathogens. Central carbon metabolism (CCM), serving as the primary metabolic hub for substances such as sugars, lipids, and amino acids, plays a crucial role in the life cycle of bacteria. Pathogenic bacteria often utilize CCM to regulate population metabolism and enhance the synthesis of specific cellular structures, thereby facilitating in adaptation to the host microecological environment and expediting infection. Research has demonstrated that QS can both directly or indirectly affect the CCM of numerous pathogenic bacteria, thus altering their virulence and pathogenicity. This article reviews the interplay between QS and CCM in Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria, details the molecular mechanisms by which QS modulates CCM, and lays the groundwork for investigating bacterial pathogenicity and developing innovative infection treatment drugs.

Temperature-regulated heterogeneous extracellular matrix gene expression defines biofilm morphology in Clostridium perfringens

Cells in biofilms dynamically adapt to surrounding environmental conditions, which alters biofilm architecture. The obligate anaerobic pathogen Clostridium perfringens shows different biofilm structures in different temperatures. Here we find that the temperature-regulated production of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) is necessary for morphological changes in biofilms. We identify BsaA proteins as an EPS matrix necessary for pellicle biofilm formation at lower temperature and find that extracellularly secreted BsaA protein forms filamentous polymers. We show that sipW-bsaA operon expression is bimodal, and the EPS-producing population size is increased at a lower temperature. This heterogeneous expression of the EPS gene requires a two-component system. We find that EPS-producing cells cover EPS-nonproducing cells attaching to the bottom surface. In the deletion mutant of pilA2, encoding a type IV pilin, the EPS gene expression is ON in the whole population. This heterogeneity is further regulated by the cleavage of the pilA2 mRNA by RNase Y, causing temperature-responsive EPS expression in biofilms. As temperature is an environmental cue, C. perfringens may modulate EPS expression to induce morphological changes in biofilm structure as a strategy for adapting to interhost and external environments.

Metabolic dependent and independent pH-drop shuts down VirSR quorum sensing in Clostridium perfringens

Clostridium perfringens produces various exotoxins and enzymes that cause food poisoning and gas gangrene. The genes involved in virulence are regulated by the agr-like quorum sensing (QS) system, which consists of a QS signal synthesis system and a VirSR two-component regulatory system (VirSR TCS) which is a global regulatory system composed of signal sensor kinase (VirS) and response regulator (VirR). We found that the perfringolysin O gene (pfoA) was transiently expressed during mid-log phase of bacterial growth; its expression was rapidly shut down thereafter, suggesting the existence of a self-quorum quenching (sQQ) system. The sQQ system was induced by the addition of stationary phase culture supernatant (SPCS). Activity of the sQQ system was heat stable, and was present following filtration through the ultrafiltration membrane, suggesting that small molecules acted as sQQ agents. In addition, sQQ was also induced by pure acetic and butyric acids at concentrations equivalent to those in the stationary phase culture, suggesting that organic acids produced by C. perfringens were involved in sQQ. In pH-controlled batch culture, sQQ was greatly diminished; expression level of pfoA extended to late-log growth phase, and was eventually increased by one order of magnitude. Furthermore, hydrochloric acid induced sQQ at the same pH as was used in organic acids. SPCS also suppressed the expression of genes regulated by VirSR TCS. Overall, the expression of virulence factors of C. perfringens was downregulated by the sQQ system, which was mediated by primary acidic metabolites and acidic environments. This suggested the possibility of pH-controlled anti-virulence strategies.

Role of RNase Y in Clostridium perfringens mRNA Decay and Processing

RNase Y is a major endoribonuclease that plays a crucial role in mRNA degradation and processing. We study the role of RNase Y in the Gram-positive anaerobic pathogen Clostridium perfringens, which until now has not been well understood. Our study implies an important role for RNase Y-mediated RNA degradation and processing in virulence gene expression and the physiological development of the organism. We began by constructing an RNase Y conditional knockdown strain in order to observe the importance of RNase Y on growth and virulence. Our resulting transcriptome analysis shows that RNase Y affects the expression of many genes, including toxin-producing genes. We provide data to show that RNase Y depletion repressed several toxin genes in C. perfringens and involved the virR-virS two-component system. We also observe evidence that RNase Y is indispensable for processing and stabilizing the transcripts of colA (encoding a major toxin collagenase) and pilA2 (encoding a major pilin component of the type IV pili). Posttranscriptional regulation of colA is known to be mediated by cleavage in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), and we observe that RNase Y depletion diminishes colA 5'UTR processing. We show that RNase Y is also involved in the posttranscriptional stabilization of pilA2 mRNA, which is thought to be important for host cell adherence and biofilm formation.

IMPORTANCE

RNases have important roles in RNA degradation and turnover in all organisms. C. perfringens is a Gram-positive anaerobic spore-forming bacterial pathogen that produces numerous extracellular enzymes and toxins, and it is linked to digestive disorders and disease. A highly conserved endoribonuclease, RNase Y, affects the expression of hundreds of genes, including toxin genes, and studying these effects is useful for understanding C. perfringens specifically and RNases generally. Moreover, RNase Y is involved in processing specific transcripts, and we observed that this processing in C. perfringens results in the stabilization of mRNAs encoding a toxin and bacterial extracellular apparatus pili. Our study shows that RNase activity is associated with gene expression, helping to determine the growth, proliferation, and virulence of C. perfringens.

Target activation by regulatory RNAs in bacteria

Bacterial small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are commonly known to repress gene expression by base pairing to target mRNAs. In many cases, sRNAs base pair with and sequester mRNA ribosome-binding sites, resulting in translational repression and accelerated transcript decay. In contrast, a growing number of examples of translational activation and mRNA stabilization by sRNAs have now been documented. A given sRNA often employs a conserved region to interact with and regulate both repressed and activated targets. However, the mechanisms underlying activation differ substantially from repression. Base pairing resulting in target activation can involve sRNA interactions with the 5(') untranslated region (UTR), the coding sequence or the 3(') UTR of the target mRNAs. Frequently, the activities of protein factors such as cellular ribonucleases and the RNA chaperone Hfq are required for activation. Bacterial sRNAs, including those that function as activators, frequently control stress response pathways or virulence-associated functions required for immediate responses to changing environments. This review aims to summarize recent advances in knowledge regarding target mRNA activation by bacterial sRNAs, highlighting the molecular mechanisms and biological relevance of regulation.

Host cell-induced signaling causes Clostridium perfringens to upregulate production of toxins important for intestinal infections

Clostridium perfringens causes enteritis and enterotoxemia in humans and livestock due to prolific toxin production. In broth culture, C. perfringens uses the Agr-like quorum sensing (QS) system to regulate production of toxins important for enteritis/enterotoxemia, including beta toxin (CPB), enterotoxin, and epsilon toxin (ETX). The VirS/VirR two-component regulatory system (TCRS) also controls CPB production in broth cultures. Both the Agr-like QS and VirS/VirR systems are important when C. perfringens senses enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells and responds by upregulating CPB production; however, only the Agr-like QS system is needed for host cell-induced ETX production. These in vitro observations have pathophysiologic relevance since both the VirS/VirR and Agr-like QS signaling systems are required for C. perfringens strain CN3685 to produce CPB in vivo and to cause enteritis or enterotoxemia. Thus, apparently upon sensing its presence in the intestines, C. perfringens utilizes QS and TCRS signaling to produce toxins necessary for intestinal virulence.

Structural requirement in Clostridium perfringens collagenase mRNA 5' leader sequence for translational induction through small RNA-mRNA base pairing

The Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfringens is pathogenic to humans and animals, and the production of its toxins is strictly regulated during the exponential phase. We recently found that the 5' leader sequence of the colA transcript encoding collagenase, which is a major toxin of this organism, is processed and stabilized in the presence of the small RNA VR-RNA. The primary colA 5'-untranslated region (5'UTR) forms a long stem-loop structure containing an internal bulge and masks its own ribosomal binding site. Here we found that VR-RNA directly regulates colA expression through base pairing with colA mRNA in vivo. However, when the internal bulge structure was closed by point mutations in colA mRNA, translation ceased despite the presence of VR-RNA. In addition, a mutation disrupting the colA stem-loop structure induced mRNA processing and ColA-FLAG translational activation in the absence of VR-RNA, indicating that the stem-loop and internal bulge structure of the colA 5' leader sequence is important for regulation by VR-RNA. On the other hand, processing was required for maximal ColA expression but was not essential for VR-RNA-dependent colA regulation. Finally, colA processing and translational activation were induced at a high temperature without VR-RNA. These results suggest that inhibition of the colA 5' leader structure through base pairing is the primary role of VR-RNA in colA regulation and that the colA 5' leader structure is a possible thermosensor.