Roles of FadRACB system in formaldehyde detoxification, oxidative stress alleviation and antibiotic susceptibility in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Implication of the σE Regulon Members OmpO and σN in the ΔompA299-356-Mediated Decrease of Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) is the most abundant porin in bacterial outer membranes. KJΔOmpA299-356, an ompA C-terminal in-frame deletion mutant of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KJ, exhibits pleiotropic defects, including decreased tolerance to menadione (MD)-mediated oxidative stress. Here, we elucidated the underlying mechanism of the decreased MD tolerance mediated by ΔompA299-356. The transcriptomes of wild-type S. maltophilia and the KJΔOmpA299-356 mutant strain were compared, focusing on 27 genes known to be associated with oxidative stress alleviation; however, no significant differences were identified. OmpO was the most downregulated gene in KJΔOmpA299-356. KJΔOmpA299-356 complementation with the chromosomally integrated ompO gene restored MD tolerance to the wild-type level, indicating the role of OmpO in MD tolerance. To further clarify the possible regulatory circuit involved in ompA defects and ompO downregulation, σ factor expression levels were examined based on the transcriptome results. The expression levels of three σ factors were significantly different (downregulated levels of rpoN and upregulated levels of rpoP and rpoE) in KJΔOmpA299-356. Next, the involvement of the three σ factors in the ΔompA299-356-mediated decrease in MD tolerance was evaluated using mutant strains and complementation assays. rpoN downregulation and rpoE upregulation contributed to the ΔompA299-356-mediated decrease in MD tolerance. OmpA C-terminal domain loss induced an envelope stress response. Activated σE decreased rpoN and ompO expression levels, in turn decreasing swimming motility and oxidative stress tolerance. Finally, we revealed both the ΔompA299-356-rpoE-ompO regulatory circuit and rpoE-rpoN cross regulation. IMPORTANCE The cell envelope is a morphological hallmark of Gram-negative bacteria. It consists of an inner membrane, a peptidoglycan layer, and an outer membrane. OmpA, an outer membrane protein, is characterized by an N-terminal β-barrel domain that is embedded in the outer membrane and a C-terminal globular domain that is suspended in the periplasmic space and connected to the peptidoglycan layer. OmpA is crucial for the maintenance of envelope integrity. Stress resulting from the destruction of envelope integrity is sensed by extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors, which induce responses to various stressors. In this study, we revealed that loss of the OmpA-peptidoglycan (PG) interaction causes peptidoglycan and envelope stress while simultaneously upregulating σP and σE expression levels. The outcomes of σP and σE activation are different and are linked to β-lactam and oxidative stress tolerance, respectively. These findings establish that outer membrane proteins (OMPs) play a critical role in envelope integrity and stress tolerance.

Bacterial redox response factors in the management of environmental oxidative stress

Bacteria evolved to survive in the available environmental chemosphere via several cellular mechanisms. A rich pool of antioxidants and stress regulators plays a significant role in the survival of bacteria in unfavorable environmental conditions. Most of the microbes exhibit resistant phenomena in toxic environment niches. Naturally, bacteria possess efficient thioredoxin reductase, glutaredoxin, and peroxiredoxin redox systems to handle environmental oxidative stress. Further, an array of transcriptional regulators senses the oxidative stress conditions. Transcription regulators, such as OxyR, SoxRS, PerR, UspA, SsrB, MarA, OhrR, SarZ, etc., sense and transduce bacterial oxidative stress responses. The redox-sensitive transcription regulators continuously recycle the utilized antioxidant enzymes during oxidative stress. These regulators promote the expression of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxides that overcome oxidative insults. Therefore, the transcriptional regulations maintain steady-state activities of antioxidant enzymes representing the resistance against host cell/environmental oxidative insults. Further, the redox system provides reducing equivalents to synthesize biomolecules, thereby contributing to cellular repair mechanisms. The inactive transcriptional regulators in the undisturbed cells are activated by oxidative stress. The oxidized transcriptional regulators modulate the expression of antioxidant and cellular repair enzymes to survive in extreme environmental conditions. Therefore, targeting these antioxidant systems and response regulators could alter cellular redox homeostasis. This review presents the mechanisms of different redox systems that favor bacterial survival in extreme environmental oxidative stress conditions.

FadACB and smeU1VWU2X Contribute to Oxidative Stress-Mediated Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Pathogenic bacteria experience diverse stresses induced by host cells during infection and have developed intricate systems to trigger appropriate responses. Bacterial stress responses have been reported to defend against these stresses and cross-protect bacteria from antibiotic attack. In this study, we aimed to assess whether oxidative stress affects bacterial susceptibility to fluoroquinolone (FQ) and the underlying mechanism. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, a species with high genetic diversity, is distributed ubiquitously and is an emerging multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogen. FQs are among the limited antibiotic treatment options for S. maltophilia infection. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 103 S. maltophilia clinical isolates against ciprofloxacin (CIP) and levofloxacin (LVX) were determined using the agar dilution method in Mueller-Hinton plates with or without menadione (MD), a superoxide generator. The resistance rates for ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were 40% and 18% in the MD-null group and increased to 91% and 23%, respectively, in the MD-treated group. Of the 103 isolates tested, 54% and 27% had elevated MICs against ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, respectively, in the presence of MD. The involvement of oxidative stress responses in the MD-mediated FQ resistance was further assessed by mutants construction and viability assay. Among the 16 oxidative stress alleviation systems evaluated, fadACB and smeU1VWU2X contributed to MD-mediated FQ resistance. The antibiotic susceptibility test is an accredited clinical method to evaluate bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics in clinical practice. However, oxidative stress-mediated antibiotic resistance was not detected using this test, which may lead to treatment failure.

PhoPQ two-component regulatory system plays a global regulatory role in antibiotic susceptibility, physiology, stress adaptation, and virulence in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

BACKGROUND

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, an opportunistic pathogen, is ubiquitously present in various environments, signifying its high capability of environmental adaptation. Two-component regulatory system (TCS) is a powerful implement to help organisms to survive in different environments. In clinic, treatment of S. maltophilia infection is difficult because it is naturally resistant to many antibiotics, highlighting the necessity to develop novel drugs or adjuvants. Given their critical and extensively regulatory role, TCS system has been proposed as a convincing target for novel drugs or adjuvants. PhoPQ TCS, a highly conserved TCS in several pathogens, plays crucial roles in low-magnesium adaption, polymyxin resistance, and virulence. In this study, we aimed to characterize the role of PhoPQ TCS of S. maltophilia in antibiotic susceptibility, physiology, stress adaptation, and virulence.

RESULTS

To characterize PhoPQ system, phoP single mutant as well as phoP and phoQ double mutant were constructed. Distinct from most phoPQ systems of other microorganisms, two features were observed during the construction of phoP and phoQ single deletion mutant. Firstly, the phoQ mutant was not successfully obtained. Secondly, the compromised phenotypes of phoP mutant were not reverted by complementing an intact phoP gene, but were partially restored by complementing a phoPQ operon. Thus, wild-type KJ, phoP mutant (KJΔPhoP), phoPQ mutant (KJΔPhoPQ), and complemented strain (KJΔPhoPQ (pPhoPQ)) were used for functional assays, including antibiotic susceptibility, physiology (swimming motility and secreted protease activity), stress adaptation (oxidative, envelope, and iron-depletion stresses), and virulence to Caenorhabditis elegans. KJΔPhoPQ totally lost swimming motility, had enhanced secreted protease activity, increased susceptibility to antibiotics (β-lactam, quinolone, aminoglycoside, macrolide, chloramphenicol, and sulfamethoxazole/ trimethoprim), menadione, H2O2, SDS, and 2,2'-dipyridyl, as well as attenuated virulence to C. elegans. Trans-complementation of KJΔPhoPQ with phoPQ reverted these altered phenotypes to the wild-type levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the critical and global roles of PhoPQ TCS in antibiotic susceptibility, physiology, stress adaptation, and virulence, PhoPQ is a potential target for the design of drugs or adjuvants.