SOS induction of the recA gene by UV-, gamma-irradiation and mitomycin C is mediated by polyamines in Escherichia coli K-12

Fate of Bioactive Compounds during Lactic Acid Fermentation of Fruits and Vegetables

Consumption of lactic acid fermented fruits and vegetables has been correlated with a series of health benefits. Some of them have been attributed to the probiotic potential of lactic acid microbiota, while others to its metabolic potential and the production of bioactive compounds. The factors that affect the latter have been in the epicenter of intensive research over the last decade. The production of bioactive peptides, vitamins (especially of the B-complex), gamma-aminobutyric acid, as well as phenolic and organosulfur compounds during lactic acid fermentation of fruits and vegetables has attracted specific attention. On the other hand, the production of biogenic amines has also been intensively studied due to the adverse health effects caused by their consumption. The data that are currently available indicate that the production of these compounds is a strain-dependent characteristic that may also be affected by the raw materials used as well as the fermentation conditions. The aim of the present review paper is to collect all data referring to the production of the aforementioned compounds and to present and discuss them in a concise and comprehensive way.

Stress and polyamine metabolism in fungi

Fungi, as well as the rest of living organisms must deal with environmental challenges such as stressful stimuli. Fungi are excellent models to study the general mechanisms of the response to stress, because of their simple, but conserved, signal-transduction and metabolic pathways that are often equivalent to those present in other eukaryotic systems. A factor that has been demonstrated to be involved in these responses is polyamine metabolism, essentially of the three most common polyamines: putrescine, spermidine and spermine. The gathered evidences on this subject suggest that polyamines are able to control cellular signal transduction, as well as to modulate protein-protein interactions. In the present review, we will address the recent advances on the study of fungal metabolism of polyamines, ranging from mutant characterization to potential mechanism of action during different kinds of stress in selected fungal models.

γ-glutamyl Spermine Synthetase PauA2 as a potential target of antibiotic development against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Polyamines are absolute requirements for cell growth. When in excess, Pseudomonas aeruginosa possesses six γ-glutamylpolyamine synthetases (GPSs) encoded by the pauA1-pauA7 genes to initiate polyamine catabolism. Recently, the pauA2 mutant was reported to lose the capability to grow on spermine (Spm) and spermidine (Spd) as sole carbon and nitrogen sources. Although this mutant grew normally in defined minimal medium and LB broth, growth was completely abolished by the addition of Spm or Spd. These two compounds exert a bactericidal effect (Spm > Spd) on the mutants as demonstrated by MIC measurements (over 500-fold reduction) and time-killing curves. Spm toxicity in the pauA2 mutant was attenuated when the major uptake system was further deleted from the strain, suggesting cytoplasmic targets of toxicity. In addition, the synergistic effect of Spm and carbenicillin in the wild-type strain PAO1 was diminished in mutants without functional PauA2. Furthermore, Spm MIC was reduced by 8-fold when the Spm uptake system was deleted from the wild-type strain, suggesting a second target of Spm toxicity in the periplasm. Experiments were also conducted to test the hypothesis that native Spm and Spd in human serum may be sufficient to kill the pauA2 mutant. Growth of the mutant was completely inhibited by 40% (vol/vol) human serum, whereas the parental strain required 80%. Colony counts indicated that the mutant but not the parent was in fact killed by human plasma. In addition, carbenicillin MIC against the mutant was reduced by 16-fold in the presence of 20% human serum while that of the parental strain remained unchanged. Taking PauA2 as the template, sequence comparison indicates that putative PauA2 homologues are widespread in a variety of Gram-negative bacteria. In summary, this study reveals the importance of GPS in alleviation of polyamine toxicity when in excess, and it provides strong support to the feasibility of GPS as a molecular target for new antibiotic development.

Transcriptome analysis of agmatine and putrescine catabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

Polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) are major organic polycations essential for a wide spectrum of cellular processes. The cells require mechanisms to maintain homeostasis of intracellular polyamines to prevent otherwise severe adverse effects. We performed a detailed transcriptome profile analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in response to agmatine and putrescine with an emphasis in polyamine catabolism. Agmatine serves as the precursor compound for putrescine (and hence spermidine and spermine), which was proposed to convert into 4-aminobutyrate (GABA) and succinate before entering the tricarboxylic acid cycle in support of cell growth, as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Two acetylpolyamine amidohydrolases, AphA and AphB, were found to be involved in the conversion of agmatine into putrescine. Enzymatic products of AphA were confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis. Interestingly, the alanine-pyruvate cycle was shown to be indispensable for polyamine utilization. The newly identified dadRAX locus encoding the regulator alanine transaminase and racemase coupled with SpuC, the major putrescine-pyruvate transaminase, were key components to maintaining alanine homeostasis. Corresponding mutant strains were severely hampered in polyamine utilization. On the other hand, an alternative gamma-glutamylation pathway for the conversion of putrescine into GABA is present in some organisms. Subsequently, GabD, GabT, and PA5313 were identified for GABA utilization. The growth defect of the PA5313 gabT double mutant in GABA suggested the importance of these two transaminases. The succinic-semialdehyde dehydrogenase activity of GabD and its induction by GABA were also demonstrated in vitro. Polyamine utilization in general was proven to be independent of the PhoPQ two-component system, even though a modest induction of this operon was induced by polyamines. Multiple potent catabolic pathways, as depicted in this study, could serve pivotal roles in the control of intracellular polyamine levels.

Transcriptome analysis of agmatine and putrescine catabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

Polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) are major organic polycations essential for a wide spectrum of cellular processes. The cells require mechanisms to maintain homeostasis of intracellular polyamines to prevent otherwise severe adverse effects. We performed a detailed transcriptome profile analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in response to agmatine and putrescine with an emphasis in polyamine catabolism. Agmatine serves as the precursor compound for putrescine (and hence spermidine and spermine), which was proposed to convert into 4-aminobutyrate (GABA) and succinate before entering the tricarboxylic acid cycle in support of cell growth, as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Two acetylpolyamine amidohydrolases, AphA and AphB, were found to be involved in the conversion of agmatine into putrescine. Enzymatic products of AphA were confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis. Interestingly, the alanine-pyruvate cycle was shown to be indispensable for polyamine utilization. The newly identified dadRAX locus encoding the regulator alanine transaminase and racemase coupled with SpuC, the major putrescine-pyruvate transaminase, were key components to maintaining alanine homeostasis. Corresponding mutant strains were severely hampered in polyamine utilization. On the other hand, an alternative gamma-glutamylation pathway for the conversion of putrescine into GABA is present in some organisms. Subsequently, GabD, GabT, and PA5313 were identified for GABA utilization. The growth defect of the PA5313 gabT double mutant in GABA suggested the importance of these two transaminases. The succinic-semialdehyde dehydrogenase activity of GabD and its induction by GABA were also demonstrated in vitro. Polyamine utilization in general was proven to be independent of the PhoPQ two-component system, even though a modest induction of this operon was induced by polyamines. Multiple potent catabolic pathways, as depicted in this study, could serve pivotal roles in the control of intracellular polyamine levels.

Physiological polyamines: simple primordial stress molecules

Physiological polyamines are ubiquitous polycations with pleiotropic biochemical activities, including regulation of gene expression, cell proliferation and modulation of cell signalling. Reports that the polyamines with cytoprotective activities were induced by diverse stresses raised the hypothesis that physiological polyamines may play a role in inducing stress response. In a wide range of organisms, physiological polyamines were not only induced by diverse stresses, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), heat, ultraviolet (UV) and psychiatric stress but were able to confer beneficial effects for survival. Recent biochemical and genetic evidences show that polyamines can function as an ROS scavenger, acid tolerance factor and chemical chaperone, and positive regulators for expression of stress response genes which may explain their protective functions against diverse stresses. Taken together, these data suggest that physiological polyamines can function as primordial stress molecules in bacteria, plants and mammals, and may play an essential role in regulation of pathogen-host interactions.

Association of prophage antiterminator Q alleles and susceptibility to food-processing treatments applied to Escherichia coli O157 in laboratory media

Resistance of Escherichia coli O157 to inactivation by high-pressure processing, heat, and UV and gamma radiation was associated with the allele of the prophage-encoded antiterminator Q gene present upstream of the Shiga toxin gene stx2. Increased processing may be required to kill certain strains of E. coli O157, and the choice of strains used as surrogate markers for processing efficiency is critical.

S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase partially regulates cell growth of HL-60 cells by controlling the intracellular ROS level: Early senescence and sensitization to γ-radiation

S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) is a key enzyme for the biosynthesis of spermidine. SAMDC-suppressed HL-60 cells overproduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which led to cell growth defect and partial cell death. ROS overproduction was caused by a decrease of the total glutathione (GSH) and the ratio of reduced to oxidized GSH, and by an increase of the intracellular iron uptake. When analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction, the transcripts of the genes involved in the GSH synthesis (gamma-glutamyl cysteine synthetase, GSH synthetase), as well as the gene of the GSH-reducing enzyme (NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase), were decreased dramatically in these cells. DNA-repairing genes (ATM, PARP, RAD51 and MSH2) also were not activated transcriptionally. In these situations, excessive ROS induced severe DNA damage, which could not be repaired, and ultimately led the cells to a spontaneous cell death or an early senescence state. For such cells, gamma-radiation and cisplatin, which are direct DNA-damaging agents, were very effective for promoting cell death.

RecA and RadA proteins of Brucella abortus do not perform overlapping protective DNA repair functions following oxidative burst

Very little is known about the role of DNA repair networks in Brucella abortus and its role in pathogenesis. We investigated the roles of RecA protein, DNA repair, and SOS regulation in B. abortus. While recA mutants in most bacterial species are hypersensitive to UV damage, surprisingly a B. abortus recA null mutant conferred only modest sensitivity. We considered the presence of a second RecA protein to account for this modest UV sensitivity. Analyses of the Brucella spp. genomes and our molecular studies documented the presence of only one recA gene, suggesting a RecA-independent repair process. Searches of the available Brucella genomes revealed some homology between RecA and RadA, a protein implicated in E. coli DNA repair. We considered the possibility that B. abortus RadA might be compensating for the loss of RecA by promoting similar repair activities. We present functional analyses that demonstrated that B. abortus RadA complements a radA defect in E. coli but could not act in place of the B. abortus RecA. We show that RecA but not RadA was required for survival in macrophages. We also discovered that recA was expressed at high constitutive levels, due to constitutive LexA cleavage by RecA, with little induction following DNA damage. Higher basal levels of RecA and its SOS-regulated gene products might protect against DNA damage experienced following the oxidative burst within macrophages.

Polyamines increase antibiotic susceptibility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen. Treatment is complicated by frequent acquired resistance to antipseudomonal therapies. Polyamines (cadaverine, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) are ubiquitous polycationic compounds essential for all living organisms. In a dose-dependent manner, polyamines increased the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa to 14 beta-lactam antibiotics, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, and trimethoprim as demonstrated by a reduction in MIC of up to 64-fold. This effect was partially antagonized (25 to 50%) by the presence of 10 mM of Mg(2+) or Ca(2+). In contrast, the effects of the outer membrane permeabilizers, polymyxin B nonapeptide and EDTA, were completely abolished by 3 mM Mg(2+) or Ca(2+). Changes on the outer membrane barrier by these compounds were assessed by activity measurements of periplasmic beta-lactamase. The results showed that while EDTA and polymyxin B serve as outer membrane disorganizing agents as expected, exogenous spermidine and spermine did not exhibit any apparent effect on outer membrane permeability or rupture. In summary, these results strongly suggest that the increased antibiotic susceptibility by polyamines is exerted by a mechanism that differs from that of EDTA and polymyxin B. Polyamines might be potentially useful in antipseudomonal therapies by increasing the effectiveness of certain beta-lactam antibiotics.

The Critical Roles of Polyamines in Regulating ColE7 Production and Restricting ColE7 Uptake of the Colicin-producing Escherichia coli

The ColE7 operon is an SOS response regulon, which encodes bacteriocin ColE7 to kill susceptible Escherichia coli and its related enterobacteria under conditions of stress. We have observed for the first time that polyamines confer limited resistance against ColE7 on E. coli cells. Thus, this study aims to investigate the role of polyamines in modulating the protective effect of the E. coli cells against colicin. In the experiments, we surprisingly found that endogenous polyamines are also essential for ColE7 production, and the rate of polyamine synthesis is directly related to the SOS response. Our experimental results further indicated that exogenous polyamines suppress the expression of TolA, BtuB, OmpF, and OmpC proteins that are responsible for ColE7 uptake. Moreover, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that the production of two periplasmic proteins, PotD and OppA, is increased in E. coli cells under ColE7 exposure. Based on these observations, we propose that endogenous polyamines may play a dual role in the ColE7 system. Polyamines may participate in initiating the expression of the SOS response of the ColE7 operon and simultaneously down-regulate proteins that are essential for colicin uptake, thus conferring a survival advantage on colicin-producing E. coli under stress conditions in the natural environment.

Polyamine depletion partially reduces the radiation-induced cell death via cell cycle delay mediated by thioredoxin

In previous studies, polyamine depletion by DFMO (alpha-difluoromethylornithine)-treatment reduced H(2)O(2)-induced apoptotic cell death by reduction of ferric ion uptake. In the present study, we analyzed the reduction of radiation-induced cell death by polyamine depletion. Exposure of HT29 cells to radiation induced severe cell death, but when cells were pretreated with DFMO, a specific inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis, radiation-induced cell death was reduced to 50-60% of control. Cell cycle analysis showed that, in these cells, the time to reach the G(2)/M phase arrest was delayed for 20-24 h compared to the control cells, at which stage the fate of cells exposed to ionizing radiation is determined. DFMO-treated cells also showed a low level of thioredoxin, which is a high-level determinant of the cellular fate. To investigate the relationship between the G(2)/M phase arrest and the reduction of thioredoxin caused by polyamine depletion, we also analyzed thioredoxin-antisensed (asTRX) HT29 cells as for DFMO-treated cells. In asTRX-transfected cells, the gamma-irradiation-induced G(2)/M phase arrest was also significantly delayed and radiation-induced cell death was profoundly reduced, as in the DFMO-treated cells. Both sets of cells showed a decrease of cyclin D1 and an increment of HSP25, which are involved in radiation-induced cell cycle progress. Overall, these results suggest that polyamines are essential for normal cell death of HT29 cells triggered by gamma-radiation and that this is partially mediated by the regulation of thioredoxin expression.

Abnormal growth of polyamine-deficient Escherichia coli mutant is partially caused by oxidative stress-induced damage

Polyamines participate in numerous cellular processes and are required for normal cell growth in Escherichia coli. In this study, we constructed a new polyamine-deficient E. coli mutant and investigated the physiological function of polyamines during normal aerobic growth conditions. We showed that the requirement for sulfur-containing, branched chain, and aromatic amino acids, which was exhibited in the sodA sodB double mutant faced with severe oxidative stress, was also true of the polyamine-deficient mutant during normal aerobic cell growth. Sorbitol, sucrose, mannose, 1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulfonic acid (Tiron), an antioxidant that functions as an oxygen radical scavenger including z.rad;O(2)(-), and thiamine partially relieved the cell growth defect caused by polyamine depletion in a dose-dependent manner. As was the case for the cells treated with paraquat, the mutant had an elongated shape compared with the polyamine-proficient wild type. Decreased aeration also relieved the cell growth defect of the polyamine-deficient mutant. Finally, we confirmed that chloromethyl-2('),7(')-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA), which is oxidized in a fluorescent product in the presence of various oxidants, also fluoresce in the polyamine-deficient cells. These results showed that abnormal growth of the polyamine-deficient E. coli mutant results partially from oxidative stress-induced damage and the mutant thus exhibits the requirement for antioxidant or specific nutritional amino acid during normal aerobic growth.

Polyamines and glutamate decarboxylase-based acid resistance in Escherichia coli

The expression of gadA and gadB, which encode two glutamate decarboxylases (GADs) of Escherichia coli, is induced by an acidic environment and participate in acid resistance. In this study, we constructed a polyamine-deficient mutant and investigated the role of polyamines in acid resistance. The expression of gadA and gadB was shown to be dependent on polyamines. For that reason, the polyamine-deficient mutant was completely devoid of GAD activity and was very susceptible to low pH if large amounts of polyamines were not provided. We also showed that the polyamine-deficient mutant contained higher cAMP levels than the isogenic polyamine-proficient wild type, and cAMP negatively regulated the expression of gadA and gadB. Therefore, introduction of the cya (encoding adenylate cyclase) mutation allele into the polyamine-deficient mutant resulted in the increment of GAD activity and thus restored the reduced acid resistance of the mutant. The positive regulators, H-NS (histone-like protein, encoded by the hns gene) and RpoS (alternative RNA polymerase sigma subunit, encoded by rpoS gene), also significantly governed the expression of gadA and gadB, respectively. However, polyamines did not regulate either the intracellular H-NS level or rpoS expression under these culture conditions. These results strongly suggest that there are at least two different regulatory systems in acid resistance, one is positive regulation via a H-NS/RpoS system and the other is negative regulation via a polyamine/cAMP system.

Induction of phase 2 enzymes by serum oxidized polyamines through activation of Nrf2: effect of the polyamine metabolite acrolein

The naturally occurring polycationic polyamines including putrescine, spermidine, and spermine play an important role in cell growth, differentiation, and gene expression. However, circulating polyamines are potential substrates for several oxidizing enzymes including copper-containing serum amine oxidase. These enzymes are capable of oxidizing serum polyamines to several toxic metabolites including aldehydes and H(2)O(2). In this study, we investigated the effects of polyamines as inducers of phase 2 enzymes and other genes that promote cell survival in a cell culture system in the presence of bovine serum. Spermidine and spermine (50 microM) increased NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) activity up to 3-fold in murine keratinocyte PE cells. Transcript levels for glutathione S-transferase (GST) A1, GST M1, NQO1, gamma-glutamylcysteine ligase regulatory subunit, and UDP-glucuronyltransferase 1A6 were significantly increased by spermidine and this effect was mediated through the antioxidant response element (ARE). The ARE from the mouse GST A1 promoter was activated about 9-fold by spermine and 5-fold by spermidine treatment, but could be inhibited by the amine oxidase inhibitor, aminoguanidine, suggesting that acrolein or hydrogen peroxide generated from polyamines by serum amine oxidase may be mediators for phase 2 enzyme induction. Elevations of ARE-luciferase expression and NQO1 enzyme activity by spermidine were not affected by catalase, while both were completely repressed by aldehyde dehydrogenase treatment. Direct addition of acrolein to PE cells induced multiple phase 2 genes and elevated nuclear levels of Nrf2, a transcription factor that binds to the ARE. Expression of mutant Nrf2 repressed the activation of the ARE-luciferase reporter by polyamines and acrolein. These results indicate that spermidine and spermine increase the expression of phase 2 genes in cells grown in culture through activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway by generating the sulfhydryl reactive aldehyde, acrolein.

Transcription of ahpC, katG, and katE genes in Escherichia coli is regulated by polyamines: polyamine-deficient mutant sensitive to H2O2-induced oxidative damage

Polyamines (putrescine and spermidine) are present in almost all living organisms and participate in numerous cellular processes. In this study, we report the protective roles of polyamines against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress. All of ahpC, katG, and katE genes, known to participate in the antioxidant defense mechanism against H2O2-induced stress in Escherichia coli, failed to induce in the absence of polyamines during normal aerobic growth. The induction of both oxyR and rpoS gene expression, whose products are essential to induce ahpC, katG, and katE genes, was also absolutely dependent on polyamines. Polyamine-deficient E. coli mutant has increased susceptibility to exogenous H2O2, and this cell cytotoxicity was relieved to a wild-type level by addition of putrescine or spermidine (1mM), which restored the transcriptional induction of ahpC, katG, and katE genes. H2O2-removing capacity was measured in the mutant, showing a significantly low H2O2-removing capacity compared to the wild type when polyamines were not present. We concluded that the increased susceptibility of the polyamine-deficient E. coli mutant to H2O2 treatment resulted from an intracellular low level of H2O2-removing capacity through the failure of their regulons, ahpC, katG, and katE induction, as well as the failure of oxyR and rpoS induction.