A 32 kb nucleotide sequence from the region of the lincomycin-resistance gene (22 degrees-25 degrees) of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome and identification of the site of the lin-2 mutation

Novel role for the yceGH tellurite resistance genes in the pathogenesis of Bacillus anthracis

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, relies on multiple virulence factors to subvert the host immune defense. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as an infection model, we screened approximately 5,000 transposon mutants of B. anthracis Sterne for decreased virulence. One of the attenuated mutants resulted in loss of expression of yceG and yceH, the last two genes in a six-gene cluster of tellurite resistance genes. We generated an analogous insertional mutant to confirm the phenotype and characterize the role of yceGH in resistance to host defenses. Loss of yceGH rendered the mutants more sensitive to tellurite toxicity as well as to host defenses such as reactive oxygen species and the cathelicidin family of antimicrobial peptides. Additionally, we see decreased survival in mammalian models of infection, including human whole blood and in mice. We identify a novel role for the yceGH genes in B. anthracis Sterne virulence and suggest that C. elegans is a useful infection model to study anthrax pathogenesis.

Characterization of Lactobacillus gasseri isolates from a breast-fed infant

The potential health benefits of probiotic bacteria have led to the isolation of new microbial strains for incorporation into food products. However, newly isolated candidate probiotic organisms do not automatically share the "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) status of traditional lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Before their introduction into food products, the safety of new isolates has to be evaluated. The objective of this study was to characterize LAB isolates from the stool of a newborn infant, and evaluate their safety and probiotic potential, in vitro. Thirty colonies were identified as Lactobacillus gasseri through sequencing of 16S rDNA. Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis using restriction enzymes SmaI and Apa I revealed that 29 of the L. gasseri were nearly identical, however one isolate exhibited a distinctive DNA fingerprint. All 30 L. gasseri were evaluated for resistance to antibiotics, bile tolerance, hemolytic activity and antagonism toward selected pathogens. All 30 strains harbored three plasmids, with one strain that showed strong tolerance to 0.5% of bile and harbored a unique fourth plasmid encoding a putative multidrug resistance transporter protein (LmrB). No hemolytic activity or antagonism, beyond acid inhibition was observed. Three selected strains UFVCC1083, 1091 and 1112 showed strong resistance to simulated small intestinal and gastric juices and adhered in vitro to mucin and two intestinal epithelial cell lines, Caco-2 and HT-29. This study identified and characterized recently isolated L. gasseri strains from faeces of a breast fed infant as potential probiotic candidates for use in the human milk banks in Brazil.

LmrS is a multidrug efflux pump of the major facilitator superfamily from Staphylococcus aureus

A multidrug efflux pump designated LmrS (lincomycin resistance protein of Staphylococcus aureus), belonging to the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) of transporters, was cloned, and the role of LmrS in antimicrobial efflux was evaluated. The highest relative increase in MIC, 16-fold, was observed for linezolid and tetraphenylphosphonium chloride (TPCL), followed by an 8-fold increase for sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), trimethoprim, and chloramphenicol. LmrS has 14 predicted membrane-spanning domains and is homologous to putative lincomycin resistance proteins of Bacillus spp., Lactobacillus spp., and Listeria spp.

The TetR family of transcriptional repressors

We have developed a general profile for the proteins of the TetR family of repressors. The stretch that best defines the profile of this family is made up of 47 amino acid residues that correspond to the helix-turn-helix DNA binding motif and adjacent regions in the three-dimensional structures of TetR, QacR, CprB, and EthR, four family members for which the function and three-dimensional structure are known. We have detected a set of 2,353 nonredundant proteins belonging to this family by screening genome and protein databases with the TetR profile. Proteins of the TetR family have been found in 115 genera of gram-positive, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-proteobacteria, cyanobacteria, and archaea. The set of genes they regulate is known for 85 out of the 2,353 members of the family. These proteins are involved in the transcriptional control of multidrug efflux pumps, pathways for the biosynthesis of antibiotics, response to osmotic stress and toxic chemicals, control of catabolic pathways, differentiation processes, and pathogenicity. The regulatory network in which the family member is involved can be simple, as in TetR (i.e., TetR bound to the target operator represses tetA transcription and is released in the presence of tetracycline), or more complex, involving a series of regulatory cascades in which either the expression of the TetR family member is modulated by another regulator or the TetR family member triggers a cell response to react to environmental insults. Based on what has been learned from the cocrystals of TetR and QacR with their target operators and from their three-dimensional structures in the absence and in the presence of ligands, and based on multialignment analyses of the conserved stretch of 47 amino acids in the 2,353 TetR family members, two groups of residues have been identified. One group includes highly conserved positions involved in the proper orientation of the helix-turn-helix motif and hence seems to play a structural role. The other set of less conserved residues are involved in establishing contacts with the phosphate backbone and target bases in the operator. Information related to the TetR family of regulators has been updated in a database that can be accessed at www.bactregulators.org.

Transcriptional analysis of biofilm formation processes in the anaerobic, hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima

Thermotoga maritima, a fermentative, anaerobic, hyperthermophilic bacterium, was found to attach to bioreactor glass walls, nylon mesh, and polycarbonate filters during chemostat cultivation on maltose-based media at 80 degrees C. A whole-genome cDNA microarray was used to examine differential expression patterns between biofilm and planktonic populations. Mixed-model statistical analysis revealed differential expression (twofold or more) of 114 open reading frames in sessile cells (6% of the genome), over a third of which were initially annotated as hypothetical proteins in the T. maritima genome. Among the previously annotated genes in the T. maritima genome, which showed expression changes during biofilm growth, were several that corresponded to biofilm formation genes identified in mesophilic bacteria (i.e., Pseudomonas species, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus epidermidis). Most notably, T. maritima biofilm-bound cells exhibited increased transcription of genes involved in iron and sulfur transport, as well as in biosynthesis of cysteine, thiamine, NAD, and isoprenoid side chains of quinones. These findings were all consistent with the up-regulation of iron-sulfur cluster assembly and repair functions in biofilm cells. Significant up-regulation of several beta-specific glycosidases was also noted in biofilm cells, despite the fact that maltose was the primary carbon source fed to the chemostat. The reasons for increased beta-glycosidase levels are unclear but are likely related to the processing of biofilm-based polysaccharides. In addition to revealing insights into the phenotype of sessile T. maritima communities, the methodology developed here can be extended to study other anaerobic biofilm formation processes as well as to examine aspects of microbial ecology in hydrothermal environments.

Bacillus subtilis LmrA is a repressor of the lmrAB and yxaGH operons: identification of its binding site and functional analysis of lmrB and yxaGH

The Bacillus subtilis lmrAB operon is involved in multidrug resistance. LmrA is a repressor of its own operon, while LmrB acts as a multidrug efflux transporter. LmrA was produced in Escherichia coli cells and was shown to bind to the lmr promoter region, in which an LmrA-binding site was identified. Genome-wide screening involving DNA microarray analysis allowed us to conclude that LmrA also repressed yxaGH, which was not likely to contribute to the multidrug resistance. LmrA bound to a putative yxaGH promoter region, in which two tandem LmrA-binding sites were identified. The LmrA regulon was thus determined to comprise lmrAB and yxaGH. All three LmrA-binding sites contained an 18-bp consensus sequence, TAGACCRKTCWMTATAWT, which could play an important role in LmrA binding.

Novel chromosomally encoded multidrug efflux transporter MdeA in Staphylococcus aureus

Antibiotic efflux is an important mechanism of resistance in pathogenic bacteria. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a novel chromosomally encoded multidrug resistance efflux protein in Staphylococcus aureus, MdeA (multidrug efflux A). MdeA was identified from screening an S. aureus open reading frame expression library for resistance to antibiotic compounds. When overexpressed, MdeA confers resistance on S. aureus to a range of quaternary ammonium compounds and antibiotics, but not fluoroquinolones. MdeA is a 52-kDa protein with 14 predicted transmembrane segments. It belongs to the major facilitator superfamily and is most closely related, among known efflux proteins, to LmrB of Bacillus subtilis and EmrB of Escherichia coli. Overexpression of mdeA in S. aureus reduced ethidium bromide uptake and enhanced its efflux, which could be inhibited by reserpine and abolished by an uncoupler. The mdeA promoter was identified by primer extension. Spontaneous mutants selected for increased resistance to an MdeA substrate had undergone mutations in the promoter for mdeA, and their mdeA transcription levels were increased by as much as 15-fold. The mdeA gene was present in the genomes of all six strains of S. aureus examined. Uncharacterized homologs of MdeA were present elsewhere in the S. aureus genome, but their overexpression did not mediate resistance to the antibacterials tested. However, MdeA homologs were identified in other bacteria, including Bacillus anthracis, some of which were shown to be functional orthologs of MdeA.

Lincomycin resistance mutations in two regions immediately downstream of the -10 region of lmr promoter cause overexpression of a putative multidrug efflux pump in Bacillus subtilis mutants

We isolated 19 lincomycin-resistant Bacillus subtilis mutants by expressing lmrB encoding a putative multidrug efflux protein. Eighteen of the mutants altered at two regions (-3 to -1 and +15) immediately downstream of the -10 region of the lmr promoter increased lmr transcription in vivo and in vitro.

Bacillus subtilis 168 contains two differentially regulated genes encoding L-asparaginase

Expression of the two Bacillus subtilis genes encoding L-asparaginase is controlled by independent regulatory factors. The ansZ gene (formerly yccC) was shown by mutational analysis to encode a functional L-asparaginase, the expression of which is activated during nitrogen-limited growth by the TnrA transcription factor. Gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting experiments indicate that TnrA regulates ansZ expression by binding to a DNA site located upstream of the ansZ promoter. The expression of the ansA gene, which encodes the second L-asparaginase, was found to be induced by asparagine. The ansA repressor, AnsR, was shown to negatively regulate its own expression.

The Sinorhizobium meliloti nutrient-deprivation-induced tyrosine degradation gene hmgA is controlled by a novel member of the arsR family of regulatory genes

The regulation of the nutrient-deprivation-induced Sinorhizobium meliloti homogentisate dioxygenase (hmgA) gene, involved in tyrosine degradation, was examined. hmgA expression was found to be independent of the canonical nitrogen regulation (ntr) system. To identify regulators of hmgA, secondary mutagenesis of an S. meliloti strain harboring a hmgA-luxAB reporter gene fusion (N4) was carried out using transposon Tn1721. Two independent Tn1721 insertions were found to be located in a positive regulatory gene (nitR), encoding a protein sharing amino acid sequence similarity with proteins of the ArsR family of regulators. NitR was found to be a regulator of S. meliloti hmgA expression under nitrogen deprivation conditions, suggesting the presence of a ntr-independent nitrogen deprivation regulatory system. nitR insertion mutations were shown not to affect bacterial growth, nodulation of Medicago sativa (alfalfa) plants, or symbiotic nitrogen fixation under the physiological conditions examined. Further analysis of the nitR locus revealed the presence of open reading frames encoding proteins sharing amino acid sequence similarities with an ATP-binding phosphonate transport protein (PhnN), as well as transmembrane efflux proteins.

Identification of lipoprotein homologues of pneumococcal PsaA in the equine pathogens Streptococcus equi and Streptococcus zooepidemicus

Streptococcus equi and Streptococcus zooepidemicus are major etiological agents of upper and lower airway disease in horses. Despite the considerable animal suffering and economic burden associated with these diseases, the factors that contribute to the virulence of these equine pathogens have not been extensively investigated. Here we demonstrate the presence of a homologue of the Streptococcus pneumoniae PsaA protein in both of these equine pathogens. Inhibition of signal peptide processing by the antibiotic globomycin confirmed the lipoprotein nature of the mature proteins, and surface exposure was confirmed by their release from intact cells by mild trypsinolysis.

Regulation of nitrogen metabolism in Bacillus subtilis: vive la différence!

Nitrogen metabolism genes of Bacillus subtilis are regulated by the availability of rapidly metabolizable nitrogen sources, but not by any mechanism analogous to the two-component Ntr regulatory system found in enteric bacteria. Instead, at least three regulatory proteins independently control the expression of gene products involved in nitrogen metabolism in response to nutrient availability. Genes expressed at high levels during nitrogen-limited growth are controlled by two related proteins, GlnR and TnrA, which bind to similar DNA sequences under different nutritional conditions. The TnrA protein is active only during nitrogen limitation, whereas GlnR-dependent repression occurs in cells growing with excess nitrogen. Although the nitrogen signal regulating the activity of the GlnR and TnrA proteins is not known, the wild-type glutamine synthetase protein is required for the transduction of this signal to the GlnR and TnrA proteins. Examination of GlnR- and TnrA-regulated gene expression suggests that these proteins allow the cell to adapt to growth during nitrogen-limited conditions. A third regulatory protein, CodY, controls the expression of several genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, competence and acetate metabolism in response to growth rate. The highest levels of CodY-dependent repression occur in cells growing rapidly in a medium rich in amino acids, and this regulation is relieved during the transition to nutrient-limited growth. While the synthesis of amino acid degradative enzymes in B. subtilis is substrate inducible, their expression is generally not regulated in response to nitrogen availability by GlnR and TnrA. This pattern of regulation may reflect the fact that the catabolism of amino acids produced by proteolysis during sporulation and germination provides the cell with substrates for energy production and macromolecular synthesis. As a result, expression of amino acid degradative enzymes may be regulated to ensure that high levels of these enzymes are present in sporulating cells and in dormant spores.

Bacterial tellurite resistance

Tellurium compounds are used in several industrial processes, although they are relatively rare in the environment. Genes associated with tellurite resistance (TeR) are found in many pathogenic bacteria. Tellurite can be detoxified through interactions with cellular thiols, such as glutathione, or a methyltransferase-catalyzed reaction, although neither process appears involved in plasmid-mediated TeR.