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Isidro-Coxca MI, Ortiz-Jiménez S, Puente JL. Type 1 fimbria and P pili: regulatory mechanisms of the prototypical members of the chaperone-usher fimbrial family. Arch Microbiol 2024; 206:373. [PMID: 39127787 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-04092-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Adherence to both cellular and abiotic surfaces is a crucial step in the interaction of bacterial pathogens and commensals with their hosts. Bacterial surface structures known as fimbriae or pili play a fundamental role in the early colonization stages by providing specificity or tropism. Among the various fimbrial families, the chaperone-usher family has been extensively studied due to its ubiquity, diversity, and abundance. This family is named after the components that facilitate their biogenesis. Type 1 fimbria and P pilus, two chaperone-usher fimbriae associated with urinary tract infections, have been thoroughly investigated and serve as prototypes that have laid the foundations for understanding the biogenesis of this fimbrial family. Additionally, the study of the mechanisms regulating their expression has also been a subject of great interest, revealing that the regulation of the expression of the genes encoding these structures is a complex and diverse process, involving both common global regulators and those specific to each operon.
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Affiliation(s)
- María I Isidro-Coxca
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Mor, 62210, Mexico.
| | - Stephanie Ortiz-Jiménez
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Mor, 62210, Mexico
| | - José L Puente
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Mor, 62210, Mexico.
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2
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Klemberg VS, Pavanelo DB, Houle S, Dhakal S, Pokharel P, Iahnig-Jacques S, Dozois CM, Horn F. The osmoregulated metabolism of trehalose contributes to production of type 1 fimbriae and bladder colonization by extraintestinal Escherichia coli strain BEN2908. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1414188. [PMID: 38979511 PMCID: PMC11228248 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1414188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
In Escherichia coli, the disaccharide trehalose can be metabolized as a carbon source or be accumulated as an osmoprotectant under osmotic stress. In hypertonic environments, E. coli accumulates trehalose in the cell by synthesis from glucose mediated by the cytosolic enzymes OtsA and OtsB. Trehalose in the periplasm can be hydrolyzed into glucose by the periplasmic trehalase TreA. We have previously shown that a treA mutant of extraintestinal E. coli strain BEN2908 displayed increased resistance to osmotic stress by 0.6 M urea, and reduced production of type 1 fimbriae, reduced invasion of avian fibroblasts, and decreased bladder colonization in a murine model of urinary tract infection. Since loss of TreA likely results in higher periplasmic trehalose concentrations, we wondered if deletion of otsA and otsB genes, which would lead to decreased internal trehalose concentrations, would reduce resistance to stress by 0.6 M urea and promote type 1 fimbriae production. The BEN2908ΔotsBA mutant was sensitive to osmotic stress by urea, but displayed an even more pronounced reduction in production of type 1 fimbriae, with the consequent reduction in adhesion/invasion of avian fibroblasts and reduced bladder colonization in the murine urinary tract. The BEN2908ΔtreAotsBA mutant also showed a reduction in production of type 1 fimbriae, but in contrast to the ΔotsBA mutant, resisted better than the wild type in the presence of urea. We hypothesize that, in BEN2908, resistance to stress by urea would depend on the levels of periplasmic trehalose, but type 1 fimbriae production would be influenced by the levels of cytosolic trehalose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Souza Klemberg
- Departamento de Biofísica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada
| | | | - Sébastien Houle
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Sabin Dhakal
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Pravil Pokharel
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Simone Iahnig-Jacques
- Departamento de Biofísica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Charles M. Dozois
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Fabiana Horn
- Departamento de Biofísica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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3
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Fan Z, Fu T, Li Z, Du B, Cui X, Zhang R, Feng Y, Zhao H, Xue G, Cui J, Yan C, Gan L, Feng J, Xu Z, Yu Z, Tian Z, Ding Z, Chen J, Chen Y, Yuan J. The role of integration host factor in biofilm and virulence of high-alcohol-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0117023. [PMID: 37732783 PMCID: PMC10581059 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01170-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a well-known human nosocomial pathogen with an arsenal of virulence factors, including capsular polysaccharides (CPS), fimbriae, flagella, and lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Our previous study found that alcohol acted as an essential virulence factor for high-alcohol-producing K. pneumoniae (HiAlc Kpn). Integration host factor (IHF) is a nucleoid-associated protein that functions as a global virulence regulator in Escherichia coli. However, the regulatory role of IHF in K. pneumoniae remains unknown. In the present study, we found that deletion of ihfA or ihfB resulted in a slight defect in bacterial growth, a severe absence of biofilm formation and cytotoxicity, and a significant reduction in alcohol production. RNA sequencing differential gene expression analysis showed that compared with the wild-type control, the expression of many virulence factor genes was downregulated in ΔihfA and ΔihfB strains, such as those related to CPS (rcsA, galF, wzi, and iscR), LPS (rfbABCD), type I and type III fimbriae (fim and mrk operon), cellulose (bcs operon), iron transporter (feoABC, fhuA, fhuF, tonB, exbB, and exbD), quorum sensing (lsr operon and sdiA), type II secretion system (T2SS) and type VI secretion system (T6SS) (tssG, hcp, and gspE). Of these virulence factors, CPS, LPS, fimbriae, and cellulose are involved in biofilm formation. In addition, IHF could affect the alcohol production by regulating genes related to glucose intake (ptsG), pyruvate formate-lyase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Our data provided new insights into the importance of IHF in regulating the virulence of HiAlc Kpn. IMPORTANCE Klebsiella pneumoniae is a well-known human nosocomial pathogen that causes various infectious diseases, including urinary tract infections, hospital-acquired pneumonia, bacteremia, and liver abscesses. Our previous studies demonstrated that HiAlc Kpn mediated the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by producing excess endogenous alcohol in vivo. However, the regulators regulating the expression of genes related to metabolism, biofilm formation, and virulence of HiAlc Kpn remain unclear. In this study, the regulator IHF was found to positively regulate biofilm formation and many virulence factors including CPS, LPS, type I and type III fimbriae, cellulose, iron transporter, AI-2 quorum sensing, T2SS, and T6SS in HiAlc Kpn. Furthermore, IHF positively regulated alcohol production in HiAlc Kpn. Our results suggested that IHF could be a potential drug target for treating various infectious diseases caused by K. pneumoniae. Hence, the regulation of different virulence factors by IHF in K. pneumoniae requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Fan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Tongtong Fu
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Zhoufei Li
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
- Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Du
- University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Xiaohu Cui
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
- Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yanling Feng
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Hanqing Zhao
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Guanhua Xue
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Jinghua Cui
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Yan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Gan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Junxia Feng
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Ziying Xu
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Zihui Yu
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Ziyan Tian
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Zanbo Ding
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Jinfeng Chen
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Yujie Chen
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Yuan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
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4
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Dorman CJ. Variable DNA topology is an epigenetic generator of physiological heterogeneity in bacterial populations. Mol Microbiol 2023; 119:19-28. [PMID: 36565252 PMCID: PMC10108321 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Transcription is a noisy and stochastic process that produces sibling-to-sibling variations in physiology across a population of genetically identical cells. This pattern of diversity reflects, in part, the burst-like nature of transcription. Transcription bursting has many causes and a failure to remove the supercoils that accumulate in DNA during transcription elongation is an important contributor. Positive supercoiling of the DNA ahead of the transcription elongation complex can result in RNA polymerase stalling if this DNA topological roadblock is not removed. The relaxation of these positive supercoils is performed by the ATP-dependent type II topoisomerases DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. Interference with the action of these topoisomerases involving, inter alia, topoisomerase poisons, fluctuations in the [ATP]/[ADP] ratio, and/or the intervention of nucleoid-associated proteins with GapR-like or YejK-like activities, may have consequences for the smooth operation of the transcriptional machinery. Antibiotic-tolerant (but not resistant) persister cells are among the phenotypic outliers that may emerge. However, interference with type II topoisomerase activity can have much broader consequences, making it an important epigenetic driver of physiological diversity in the bacterial population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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5
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Conway C, Beckett MC, Dorman CJ. The DNA relaxation-dependent OFF-to-ON biasing of the type 1 fimbrial genetic switch requires the Fis nucleoid-associated protein. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001283. [PMID: 36748578 PMCID: PMC9993118 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The structural genes expressing type 1 fimbriae in Escherichia coli alternate between expressed (phase ON) and non-expressed (phase OFF) states due to inversion of the 314 bp fimS genetic switch. The FimB tyrosine integrase inverts fimS by site-specific recombination, alternately connecting and disconnecting the fim operon, encoding the fimbrial subunit protein and its associated secretion and adhesin factors, to and from its transcriptional promoter within fimS. Site-specific recombination by the FimB recombinase becomes biased towards phase ON as DNA supercoiling is relaxed, a condition that occurs when bacteria approach the stationary phase of the growth cycle. This effect can be mimicked in exponential phase cultures by inhibiting the negative DNA supercoiling activity of DNA gyrase. We report that this bias towards phase ON depends on the presence of the Fis nucleoid-associated protein. We mapped the Fis binding to a site within the invertible fimS switch by DNase I footprinting. Disruption of this binding site by base substitution mutagenesis abolishes both Fis binding and the ability of the mutated switch to sustain its phase ON bias when DNA is relaxed, even in bacteria that produce the Fis protein. In addition, the Fis binding site overlaps one of the sites used by the Lrp protein, a known directionality determinant of fimS inversion that also contributes to phase ON bias. The Fis–Lrp relationship at fimS is reminiscent of that between Fis and Xis when promoting DNA relaxation-dependent excision of bacteriophage λ from the E. coli chromosome. However, unlike the co-binding mechanism used by Fis and Xis at λ attR, the Fis–Lrp relationship at fimS involves competitive binding. We discuss these findings in the context of the link between fimS inversion biasing and the physiological state of the bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Conway
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Present address: Technical University of the Atlantic, Galway, Ireland
| | - Michael C Beckett
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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6
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Conserved FimK Truncation Coincides with Increased Expression of Type 3 Fimbriae and Cultured Bladder Epithelial Cell Association in Klebsiella quasipneumoniae. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0017222. [PMID: 36005809 PMCID: PMC9487511 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00172-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella spp. commonly cause both uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) and recurrent UTI (rUTI). Klebsiella quasipneumoniae, a relatively newly defined species of Klebsiella, has been shown to be metabolically distinct from Klebsiella pneumoniae, but its type 1 and type 3 fimbriae have not been studied. K. pneumoniae uses both type 1 and type 3 fimbriae to attach to host epithelial cells. The type 1 fimbrial operon is well conserved between Escherichia coli and K. pneumoniae apart from fimK, which is unique to Klebsiella spp. FimK contains an N-terminal DNA binding domain and a C-terminal phosphodiesterase (PDE) domain that has been hypothesized to cross-regulate type 3 fimbriae expression via modulation of cellular levels of cyclic di-GMP. Here, we find that a conserved premature stop codon in K. quasipneumoniae fimK results in truncation of the C-terminal PDE domain and that K quasipneumoniae strain KqPF9 cultured bladder epithelial cell association and invasion are dependent on type 3 but not type 1 fimbriae. Further, we show that basal expression of both type 1 and type 3 fimbrial operons as well as cultured bladder epithelial cell association is elevated in KqPF9 relative to uropathogenic K. pneumoniae TOP52. Finally, we show that complementation of KqPF9ΔfimK with the TOP52 fimK allele reduced type 3 fimbrial expression and cultured bladder epithelial cell attachment. Taken together these data suggest that the C-terminal PDE of FimK can modulate type 3 fimbrial expression in K. pneumoniae and its absence in K. quasipneumoniae may lead to a loss of type 3 fimbrial cross-regulation. IMPORTANCE K. quasipneumoniae is often indicated as the cause of opportunistic infections, including urinary tract infection, which affects >50% of women worldwide. However, the virulence factors of K. quasipneumoniae remain uninvestigated. Prior to this work, K. quasipneumoniae and K. pneumoniae had only been distinguished phenotypically by metabolic differences. This work contributes to the understanding of K. quasipneumoniae by evaluating the contribution of type 1 and type 3 fimbriae, which are critical colonization factors encoded by all Klebsiella spp., to K. quasipneumoniae bladder epithelial cell attachment in vitro. We observe clear differences in bladder epithelial cell attachment and regulation of type 3 fimbriae between uropathogenic K. pneumoniae and K. quasipneumoniae that coincide with a structural difference in the fimbrial regulatory gene fimK.
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7
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Relationship between the Chromosome Structural Dynamics and Gene Expression—A Chicken and Egg Dilemma? Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10050846. [PMID: 35630292 PMCID: PMC9144111 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10050846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotic transcription was extensively studied over the last half-century. A great deal of data has been accumulated regarding the control of gene expression by transcription factors regulating their target genes by binding at specific DNA sites. However, there is a significant gap between the mechanistic description of transcriptional control obtained from in vitro biochemical studies and the complexity of transcriptional regulation in the context of the living cell. Indeed, recent studies provide ample evidence for additional levels of complexity pertaining to the regulation of transcription in vivo, such as, for example, the role of the subcellular localization and spatial organization of different molecular components involved in the transcriptional control and, especially, the role of chromosome configurational dynamics. The question as to how the chromosome is dynamically reorganized under the changing environmental conditions and how this reorganization is related to gene expression is still far from being clear. In this article, we focus on the relationships between the chromosome structural dynamics and modulation of gene expression during bacterial adaptation. We argue that spatial organization of the bacterial chromosome is of central importance in the adaptation of gene expression to changing environmental conditions and vice versa, that gene expression affects chromosome dynamics.
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8
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Pozdeev G, Beckett MC, Mogre A, Thomson NR, Dorman CJ. Reciprocally rewiring and repositioning the Integration Host Factor (IHF) subunit genes in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium: impacts on physiology and virulence. Microb Genom 2022; 8. [PMID: 35166652 PMCID: PMC8942017 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The Integration Host Factor (IHF) is a heterodimeric nucleoid-associated protein that plays roles in bacterial nucleoid architecture and genome-wide gene regulation. The ihfA and ihfB genes encode the subunits and are located 350 kbp apart, in the Right replichore of the Salmonella chromosome. IHF is composed of one IhfA and one IhfB subunit. Despite this 1 : 1 stoichiometry, MS revealed that IhfB is produced in 2-fold excess over IhfA. We re-engineered Salmonella to exchange reciprocally the protein-coding regions of ihfA and ihfB, such that each relocated protein-encoding region was driven by the expression signals of the other's gene. MS showed that in this 'rewired' strain, IhfA is produced in excess over IhfB, correlating with enhanced stability of the hybrid ihfB-ihfA mRNA that was expressed from the ihfB promoter. Nevertheless, the rewired strain grew at a similar rate to the wild-type and was similar in competitive fitness. However, compared to the wild-type, it was less motile, had growth-phase-specific reductions in SPI-1 and SPI-2 gene expression, and was engulfed at a higher rate by RAW macrophage. Our data show that while exchanging the physical locations of its ihf genes and the rewiring of their regulatory circuitry are well tolerated in Salmonella, genes involved in the production of type 3 secretion systems exhibit dysregulation accompanied by altered phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- German Pozdeev
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Michael C Beckett
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Aalap Mogre
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | | | - Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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9
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Ziegler CA, Freddolino PL. The leucine-responsive regulatory proteins/feast-famine regulatory proteins: an ancient and complex class of transcriptional regulators in bacteria and archaea. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 56:373-400. [PMID: 34151666 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2021.1925215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Since the discovery of the Escherichia coli leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) almost 50 years ago, hundreds of Lrp homologs have been discovered, occurring in 45% of sequenced bacteria and almost all sequenced archaea. Lrp-like proteins are often referred to as the feast/famine regulatory proteins (FFRPs), reflecting their common regulatory roles. Acting as either global or local transcriptional regulators, FFRPs detect the environmental nutritional status by sensing small effector molecules (usually amino acids) and regulate the expression of genes involved in metabolism, virulence, motility, nutrient transport, stress tolerance, and antibiotic resistance to implement appropriate behaviors for the specific ecological niche of each organism. Despite FFRPs' complexity, a significant role in gene regulation, and prevalence throughout prokaryotes, the last comprehensive review on this family of proteins was published about a decade ago. In this review, we integrate recent notable findings regarding E. coli Lrp and other FFRPs across bacteria and archaea with previous observations to synthesize a more complete view on the mechanistic details and biological roles of this ancient class of transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine A Ziegler
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peter L Freddolino
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Bessaiah H, Pokharel P, Loucif H, Kulbay M, Sasseville C, Habouria H, Houle S, Bernier J, Massé É, Van Grevenynghe J, Dozois CM. The RyfA small RNA regulates oxidative and osmotic stress responses and virulence in uropathogenic Escherichia coli. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009617. [PMID: 34043736 PMCID: PMC8205139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common bacterial infectious disease in humans, and strains of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the most frequent cause of UTIs. During infection, UPEC must cope with a variety of stressful conditions in the urinary tract. Here, we demonstrate that the small RNA (sRNA) RyfA of UPEC strains is required for resistance to oxidative and osmotic stresses. Transcriptomic analysis of the ryfA mutant showed changes in expression of genes associated with general stress responses, metabolism, biofilm formation and genes coding for cell surface proteins. Inactivation of ryfA in UPEC strain CFT073 decreased urinary tract colonization in mice and the ryfA mutant also had reduced production of type 1 and P fimbriae (pili), adhesins which are known to be important for UTI. Furthermore, loss of ryfA also reduced UPEC survival in human macrophages. Thus, ryfA plays a key regulatory role in UPEC adaptation to stress, which contributes to UTI and survival in macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hicham Bessaiah
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
- CRIPA-Centre de recherche en infectiologie porcine et avicole, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Pravil Pokharel
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
- CRIPA-Centre de recherche en infectiologie porcine et avicole, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Hamza Loucif
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Merve Kulbay
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Charles Sasseville
- Department of Biochemistry, RNA Group, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hajer Habouria
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
- CRIPA-Centre de recherche en infectiologie porcine et avicole, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Sébastien Houle
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
- CRIPA-Centre de recherche en infectiologie porcine et avicole, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Jacques Bernier
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Éric Massé
- Department of Biochemistry, RNA Group, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Charles M. Dozois
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
- CRIPA-Centre de recherche en infectiologie porcine et avicole, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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11
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Travers A, Muskhelishvili G. Chromosomal Organization and Regulation of Genetic Function in Escherichia coli Integrates the DNA Analog and Digital Information. EcoSal Plus 2020; 9:10.1128/ecosalplus.ESP-0016-2019. [PMID: 32056535 PMCID: PMC11168577 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0016-2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we summarize our current understanding of the bacterial genetic regulation brought about by decades of studies using the Escherichia coli model. It became increasingly evident that the cellular genetic regulation system is organizationally closed, and a major challenge is to describe its circular operation in quantitative terms. We argue that integration of the DNA analog information (i.e., the probability distribution of the thermodynamic stability of base steps) and digital information (i.e., the probability distribution of unique triplets) in the genome provides a key to understanding the organizational logic of genetic control. During bacterial growth and adaptation, this integration is mediated by changes of DNA supercoiling contingent on environmentally induced shifts in intracellular ionic strength and energy charge. More specifically, coupling of dynamic alterations of the local intrinsic helical repeat in the structurally heterogeneous DNA polymer with structural-compositional changes of RNA polymerase holoenzyme emerges as a fundamental organizational principle of the genetic regulation system. We present a model of genetic regulation integrating the genomic pattern of DNA thermodynamic stability with the gene order and function along the chromosomal OriC-Ter axis, which acts as a principal coordinate system organizing the regulatory interactions in the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Travers
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Dorman CJ, Ní Bhriain N. CRISPR-Cas, DNA Supercoiling, and Nucleoid-Associated Proteins. Trends Microbiol 2019; 28:19-27. [PMID: 31519332 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In this opinion article we highlight links between the H-NS nucleoid-associated protein, variable DNA topology, the regulation of CRISPR-cas locus expression, CRISPR-Cas activity, and the recruitment of novel genetic information by the CRISPR array. We propose that the requirement that the invading mobile genetic element be negatively supercoiled limits effective CRISPR action to a window in the bacterial growth cycle when DNA topology is optimal, and that this same window is used for the efficient integration of new spacer sequences at the CRISPR array. H-NS silences CRISPR promoters, and we propose that antagonists of H-NS, such as the LeuO transcription factor, provide a basis for a stochastic genetic switch that acts at random in each cell in the bacterial population. In addition, we wish to propose a mechanism by which mobile genetic elements can suppress CRISPR-cas transcription using H-NS homologues. Although the individual components of this network are known, we propose a new model in which they are integrated and linked to the physiological state of the bacterium. The model provides a basis for cell-to-cell variation in the expression and performance of CRISPR systems in bacterial populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
| | - Niamh Ní Bhriain
- Department of Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Distinct intraspecies virulence mechanisms regulated by a conserved transcription factor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:19695-19704. [PMID: 31501343 PMCID: PMC6765310 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1903461116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial pathogens emerge by adapting mechanisms of virulence, differentiating them from their nonpathogenic progenitor. Virulence factors are often encoded on accessory genomic elements not part of the core genome and therefore must be integrated into the regulatory architecture of the cell. Here, we show that a highly conserved transcription factor in Escherichia coli has been relieved of a common purpose and adapted to regulate virulence pleiotropically in 2 distinct genetic backgrounds. This leads to enhanced virulence of both intestinal enterohemorrhagic E. coli and extraintestinal uropathogenic E. coli by exclusive mechanisms. These findings challenge the assumption that conserved transcription factors regulate common pathways maintained within a species and suggest that transcriptional repurposing creates new primary roles on an individual basis. Tailoring transcriptional regulation to coordinate the expression of virulence factors in tandem with the core genome is a hallmark of bacterial pathogen evolution. Bacteria encode hundreds of transcription factors forming the base-level control of gene regulation. Moreover, highly homologous regulators are assumed to control conserved genes between members within a species that harbor the same genetic targets. We have explored this concept in 2 Escherichia coli pathotypes that employ distinct virulence mechanisms that facilitate specification of a different niche within the host. Strikingly, we found that the transcription factor YhaJ actively regulated unique gene sets between intestinal enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) and extraintestinal uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), despite being very highly conserved. In EHEC, YhaJ directly activates expression of type 3 secretion system components and effectors. Alternatively, YhaJ enhances UPEC virulence regulation by binding directly to the phase-variable type 1 fimbria promoter, driving its expression. Additionally, YhaJ was found to override the universal GAD acid tolerance system but exclusively in EHEC, thereby indirectly enhancing type 3 secretion pleiotropically. These results have revealed that within a species, conserved regulators are actively repurposed in a “personalized” manner to benefit particular lifestyles and drive virulence via multiple distinct mechanisms.
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Bervoets I, Charlier D. Diversity, versatility and complexity of bacterial gene regulation mechanisms: opportunities and drawbacks for applications in synthetic biology. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2019; 43:304-339. [PMID: 30721976 PMCID: PMC6524683 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene expression occurs in two essential steps: transcription and translation. In bacteria, the two processes are tightly coupled in time and space, and highly regulated. Tight regulation of gene expression is crucial. It limits wasteful consumption of resources and energy, prevents accumulation of potentially growth inhibiting reaction intermediates, and sustains the fitness and potential virulence of the organism in a fluctuating, competitive and frequently stressful environment. Since the onset of studies on regulation of enzyme synthesis, numerous distinct regulatory mechanisms modulating transcription and/or translation have been discovered. Mostly, various regulatory mechanisms operating at different levels in the flow of genetic information are used in combination to control and modulate the expression of a single gene or operon. Here, we provide an extensive overview of the very diverse and versatile bacterial gene regulatory mechanisms with major emphasis on their combined occurrence, intricate intertwinement and versatility. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of well-characterized basal expression and regulatory elements in synthetic biology applications, where they may ensure orthogonal, predictable and tunable expression of (heterologous) target genes and pathways, aiming at a minimal burden for the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indra Bervoets
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel Charlier
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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15
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Dorman CJ. DNA supercoiling and transcription in bacteria: a two-way street. BMC Mol Cell Biol 2019; 20:26. [PMID: 31319794 PMCID: PMC6639932 DOI: 10.1186/s12860-019-0211-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The processes of DNA supercoiling and transcription are interdependent because the movement of a transcription elongation complex simultaneously induces under- and overwinding of the DNA duplex and because the initiation, elongation and termination steps of transcription are all sensitive to the topological state of the DNA. RESULTS Policing of the local and global supercoiling of DNA by topoisomerases helps to sustain the major DNA-based transactions by eliminating barriers to the movement of transcription complexes and replisomes. Recent data from whole-genome and single-molecule studies have provided new insights into how interactions between transcription and the supercoiling of DNA influence the architecture of the chromosome and how they create cell-to-cell diversity at the level of gene expression through transcription bursting. CONCLUSIONS These insights into fundamental molecular processes reveal mechanisms by which bacteria can prevail in unpredictable and often hostile environments by becoming unpredictable themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
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Flores-Ríos R, Quatrini R, Loyola A. Endogenous and Foreign Nucleoid-Associated Proteins of Bacteria: Occurrence, Interactions and Effects on Mobile Genetic Elements and Host's Biology. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2019; 17:746-756. [PMID: 31303979 PMCID: PMC6606824 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2019.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Mobile Genetic Elements (MGEs) are mosaics of functional gene modules of diverse evolutionary origin and are generally divergent from the hosts´ genetic background. Existing biases in base composition and codon usage of these elements` genes impose transcription and translation limitations that may affect the physical and regulatory integration of MGEs in new hosts. Stable appropriation of the foreign DNA depends on a number of host factors among which are the Nucleoid-Associated Proteins (NAPs). These small, basic, highly abundant proteins bind and bend DNA, altering its topology and folding, thereby affecting all known essential DNA metabolism related processes. Both chromosomally- (endogenous) and MGE- (foreign) encoded NAPs have been shown to exist in bacteria. While the role of host-encoded NAPs in xenogeneic silencing of both episomal (plasmids) and integrative MGEs (pathogenicity islands and prophages) is well acknowledged, less is known about the role of MGE-encoded NAPs in the foreign elements biology or their influence on the host's chromosome expression dynamics. Here we review existing literature on the topic, present examples on the positive and negative effects that endogenous and foreign NAPs exert on global transcriptional gene expression, MGE integrative and excisive recombination dynamics, persistence and transfer to suitable hosts and discuss the nature and relevance of synergistic and antagonizing higher order interactions between diverse types of NAPs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raquel Quatrini
- Fundación Ciencia y Vida, Avenida Zañartu 1482, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile.,Millennium Nucleus in the Biology of Intestinal Microbiota, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandra Loyola
- Fundación Ciencia y Vida, Avenida Zañartu 1482, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
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Battaglioli EJ, Goh KGK, Atruktsang TS, Schwartz K, Schembri MA, Welch RA. Identification and Characterization of a Phase-Variable Element That Regulates the Autotransporter UpaE in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli. mBio 2018; 9:e01360-18. [PMID: 30087170 PMCID: PMC6083910 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01360-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most common etiologic agent of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI). An important mechanism of gene regulation in UPEC is phase variation that involves inversion of a promoter-containing DNA element via enzymatic activity of tyrosine recombinases, resulting in biphasic, ON or OFF expression of target genes. The UPEC reference strain CFT073 has five tyrosine site-specific recombinases that function at two previously characterized promoter inversion systems, fimS and hyxS Three of the five recombinases are located proximally to their cognate target elements, which is typical of promoter inversion systems. The genes for the other two recombinases, IpuA and IpuB, are located distal from these sites. Here, we identified and characterized a third phase-variable invertible element in CFT073, ipuS, located proximal to ipuA and ipuB The inversion of ipuS is catalyzed by four of the five CFT073 recombinases. Orientation of the element drives transcription of a two-gene operon containing ipuR, a predicted LuxR-type regulator, and upaE, a predicted autotransporter. We show that the predicted autotransporter UpaE is surface located and facilitates biofilm formation as well as adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins in a K-12 recombinant background. Consistent with this phenotype, the ipuS ON condition in CFT073 results in defective swimming motility, increased adherence to human kidney epithelial cells, and a positive competitive kidney colonization advantage in experimental mouse UTIs. Overall, the identification of a third phase switch in UPEC that is regulated by a shared set of recombinases describes a complex phase-variable virulence network in UPEC.IMPORTANCE Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most common cause of urinary tract infection (UTI). ON versus OFF phase switching by inversion of small DNA elements at two chromosome sites in UPEC regulates the expression of important virulence factors, including the type 1 fimbria adhesion organelle. In this report, we describe a third invertible element, ipuS, in the UPEC reference strain CFT073. The inversion of ipuS controls the phase-variable expression of upaE, an autotransporter gene that encodes a surface protein involved in adherence to extracellular matrix proteins and colonization of the kidneys in a murine model of UTI.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Battaglioli
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - K G K Goh
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - T S Atruktsang
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - K Schwartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - M A Schembri
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - R A Welch
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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The Periplasmic Trehalase Affects Type 1 Fimbria Production and Virulence of Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Strain MT78. Infect Immun 2018; 86:IAI.00241-18. [PMID: 29844238 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00241-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is responsible for various infections outside the gastrointestinal tract in humans and other animals. ExPEC strain MT78 is invasive to various nonphagocytic cells and highly virulent in vivo To identify genes required for invasion of nonphagocytic cells by this strain, we applied signature-tagged mutagenesis to generate a library of mutants and tested them for invasion of avian fibroblasts. Mutants showing reduced cellular invasion included those with insertions in the fim operon, encoding type 1 fimbriae. Another attenuated mutant showed a disruption in the treA gene, which encodes a periplasmic trehalase. The substrate of TreA, trehalose, can be metabolized and used as a carbon source or can serve as an osmoprotectant under conditions of osmotic stress in E. coli K-12. We generated and characterized mutant MT78ΔtreA In contrast to the wild type, MT78ΔtreA was able to grow under osmotic stress caused by 0.6 M urea but not in minimal M9 medium with trehalose as the only carbon source. It presented decreased association and invasion of avian fibroblasts, decreased yeast agglutination titer, and impaired type 1 fimbria production. In a murine model of urinary tract infection, MT78ΔtreA was less able to colonize the bladder. All phenotypes were rescued in the complemented mutant. Our results show that the treA gene is needed for optimal production of type 1 fimbriae in ExPEC strain MT78 and that loss of treA significantly reduces its cell invasion capacity and colonization of the bladder in a murine model of urinary tract infection.
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Harbaugh SV, Martin JA, Weinstein J, Ingram G, Kelley-Loughnane N. Screening and selection of artificial riboswitches. Methods 2018; 143:77-89. [PMID: 29778645 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2018.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic riboswitches are engineered to regulate gene expression in response to a variety of non-endogenous small molecules, and a challenge to select this engineered response requires robust screening tools. A new synthetic riboswitch can be created by linking an in vitro-selected aptamer library with a randomized expression platform followed by in vivo selection and screening. In order to determine response to analyte, we developed a dual-color reporter comprising elements of the E. coli fimbriae phase variation system: recombinase FimE controlled by a synthetic riboswitch and an invertible DNA segment (fimS) containing a constitutively active promoter placed between two fluorescent protein genes. Without an analyte, the fluorescent reporter constitutively expressed green fluorescent protein (GFPa1). Addition of the analyte initiated translation of fimE causing unidirectional inversion of the fimS segment and constitutive expression of red fluorescent protein (mKate2). The dual color reporter system can be used to select and to optimize artificial riboswitches in E. coli cells. In this work, the enriched library of aptamers incorporated into the riboswitch architecture reduces the sequence search space by offering a higher percentage of potential ligand binders. The study was designed to produce structure switching aptamers, a necessary feature for riboswitch function and efficiently quantify this function using the dual color reporter system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana V Harbaugh
- Airman Systems Directorate, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States
| | - Jennifer A Martin
- Airman Systems Directorate, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States
| | - Jenna Weinstein
- Airman Systems Directorate, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States
| | - Grant Ingram
- Airman Systems Directorate, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States
| | - Nancy Kelley-Loughnane
- Airman Systems Directorate, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States.
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20
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Werneburg GT, Thanassi DG. Pili Assembled by the Chaperone/Usher Pathway in Escherichia coli and Salmonella. EcoSal Plus 2018; 8:10.1128/ecosalplus.ESP-0007-2017. [PMID: 29536829 PMCID: PMC5940347 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0007-2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Gram-negative bacteria assemble a variety of surface structures, including the hair-like organelles known as pili or fimbriae. Pili typically function in adhesion and mediate interactions with various surfaces, with other bacteria, and with other types of cells such as host cells. The chaperone/usher (CU) pathway assembles a widespread class of adhesive and virulence-associated pili. Pilus biogenesis by the CU pathway requires a dedicated periplasmic chaperone and integral outer membrane protein termed the usher, which forms a multifunctional assembly and secretion platform. This review addresses the molecular and biochemical aspects of the CU pathway in detail, focusing on the type 1 and P pili expressed by uropathogenic Escherichia coli as model systems. We provide an overview of representative CU pili expressed by E. coli and Salmonella, and conclude with a discussion of potential approaches to develop antivirulence therapeutics that interfere with pilus assembly or function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn T. Werneburg
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - David G. Thanassi
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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21
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Abstract
Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of nosocomial infections, causing disease that ranges from mild diarrhea to potentially fatal colitis. A variety of surface proteins, including flagella, enable C. difficile colonization of the intestine. Once in the intestine, toxigenic C. difficile secretes two glucosylating toxins, TcdA and TcdB, which elicit inflammation and diarrheal disease symptoms. Regulation of colonization factors and TcdA and TcdB is an intense area of research in C. difficile biology. A recent publication from our group describes a novel regulatory mechanism that mediates the ON/OFF expression of co-regulated virulence factors of C. difficile, flagella and toxins. Herein, we review key findings from our work, present new data, and speculate the functional consequence of the ON/OFF expression of these virulence factors during host infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon R. Anjuwon-Foster
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Rita Tamayo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA,CONTACT Rita Tamayo 125 Mason Farm Rd., CB #7290, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599
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22
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High Levels of the Xenorhabdus nematophila Transcription Factor Lrp Promote Mutualism with the Steinernema carpocapsae Nematode Host. Appl Environ Microbiol 2017; 83:AEM.00276-17. [PMID: 28389546 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00276-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Xenorhabdus nematophila bacteria are mutualistic symbionts of Steinernema carpocapsae nematodes and pathogens of insects. The X. nematophila global regulator Lrp controls the expression of many genes involved in both mutualism and pathogenic activities, suggesting a role in the transition between the two host organisms. We previously reported that natural populations of X. nematophila exhibit various levels of Lrp expression and that cells expressing relatively low levels of Lrp are optimized for virulence in the insect Manduca sexta The adaptive advantage of the high-Lrp-expressing state was not established. Here we used strains engineered to express constitutively high or low levels of Lrp to test the model in which high-Lrp-expressing cells are adapted for mutualistic activities with the nematode host. We demonstrate that high-Lrp cells form more robust biofilms in laboratory media than do low-Lrp cells, which may reflect adherence to host tissues. Also, our data showed that nematodes cultivated with high-Lrp strains are more frequently colonized than are those associated with low-Lrp strains. Taken together, these data support the idea that high-Lrp cells have an advantage in tissue adherence and colonization initiation. Furthermore, our data show that high-Lrp-expressing strains better support nematode reproduction than do their low-Lrp counterparts under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Our data indicate that heterogeneity of Lrp expression in X. nematophila populations provides diverse cell populations adapted to both pathogenic (low-Lrp) and mutualistic (high-Lrp) states.IMPORTANCE Host-associated bacteria experience fluctuating conditions during both residence within an individual host and transmission between hosts. For bacteria that engage in evolutionarily stable, long-term relationships with particular hosts, these fluctuations provide selective pressure for the emergence of adaptive regulatory mechanisms. Here we present evidence that the bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila uses various levels of the transcription factor Lrp to optimize its association with its two animal hosts, nematodes and insects, with which it behaves as a mutualist and a pathogen, respectively. Building on our previous finding that relatively low cellular levels of Lrp are optimal for pathogenesis, we demonstrate that, conversely, high levels of Lrp promote mutualistic activities with the Steinernema carpocapsae nematode host. These data suggest that X. nematophila has evolved to utilize phenotypic variation between high- and low-Lrp-expression states to optimize its alternating behaviors as a mutualist and a pathogen.
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Harbaugh SV, Goodson MS, Dillon K, Zabarnick S, Kelley-Loughnane N. Riboswitch-Based Reversible Dual Color Sensor. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:766-781. [PMID: 28121427 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.6b00199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Riboswitches are RNA-based "sensors" that utilize chemically induced structural changes in the 5'-untranslated region of mRNA to regulate expression of downstream genes. Coupling a specific riboswitch with a reporter gene system translates chemical detection by the cell into a quantifiable reporter protein signal. For the majority of reporter gene systems, the readout signal is only expressed in the presence of the target analyte. This makes it difficult to determine the viability and localization of the uninduced biosensor when it is used for "real-word" applications. To address this problem, we developed a dual-color reporter comprising elements of the E. coli fimbriae phase variation system: recombinase FimE controlled by a synthetic riboswitch and an invertible DNA segment (fimS) containing a constitutively active promoter placed between two fluorescent protein genes. Without an analyte, the fluorescent reporter constitutively expressed green fluorescent protein (GFPa1). Addition of the analyte initiated translation of fimE causing unidirectional inversion of the fimS segment and constitutive expression of red fluorescent protein (mKate2). Thus, the sensor is always fluorescent, but its color is determined by detection of a specific analyte. We demonstrate that the recombinase-based dual-color reporter can be successfully applied to monitor the activation of a theophylline synthetic riboswitch that was used as our model system. To show the feasibility of the FimE recombinase-based system to serve as a reporter for monitoring activation of multiple synthetic riboswitches and, therefore, expand the applicability of the system, we tested a number of previously developed synthetic riboswitches responsive to different analytes. We show that the dual-color reporter system can be successfully used to monitor activation of M6 and M6″ riboswitches responsive to ammeline and pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine-2,4-diamine, respectively, and a 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene-responsive riboswitch developed in this study. We also demonstrate that the system can be reversed by HbiF recombinase-mediated fimS inversion to the initial state of the fluorescent reporter, creating a resettable and reusable cell-based sensor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana V. Harbaugh
- 711th
Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate, Air Force Research
Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States
- The Henry M. Jackson Foundation, 6720A Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20817, United States
| | - Michael S. Goodson
- 711th
Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate, Air Force Research
Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States
- UES, Inc., 4401 Dayton-Xenia
Road, Dayton, Ohio 45432, United States
| | - Kateri Dillon
- 711th
Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate, Air Force Research
Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Sarah Zabarnick
- 711th
Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate, Air Force Research
Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Nancy Kelley-Loughnane
- 711th
Human Performance Wing, Airman Systems Directorate, Air Force Research
Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States
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Mellies JL, Platenkamp A, Osborn J, Ben-Avi L. PerC Manipulates Metabolism and Surface Antigens in Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:32. [PMID: 28224117 PMCID: PMC5293775 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli is an important cause of profuse, watery diarrhea in infants living in developing regions of the world. Typical strains of EPEC (tEPEC) possess a virulence plasmid, while related clinical isolates that lack the pEAF plasmid are termed atypical EPEC (aEPEC). tEPEC and aEPEC tend to cause acute vs. more chronic type infections, respectively. The pEAF plasmid encodes an attachment factor as well as a regulatory operon, perABC. PerC, a poorly understood regulator, was previously shown to regulate expression of the type III secretion system through Ler. Here we elucidate the regulon of PerC using RNA sequencing analysis to better our understanding of the role of the pEAF in tEPEC infection. We demonstrate that PerC controls anaerobic metabolism by increasing expression of genes necessary for nitrate reduction. A tEPEC strain overexpressing PerC exhibited a growth advantage compared to a strain lacking this regulator, when grown anaerobically in the presence of nitrate, conditions mimicking the human intestine. We show that PerC strongly down-regulates type I fimbriae expression by manipulating fim phase variation. The quantities of a number of non-coding RNA molecules were altered by PerC. In sum, this protein controls niche adaptation, and could help to explain the function of the PerC homologs (Pch), many of which are encoded within prophages in related, Gram-negative pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jossef Osborn
- Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Science University Portland, OR, USA
| | - Lily Ben-Avi
- Biology Department, Reed College Portland, OR, USA
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Abstract
Strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae are frequently opportunistic pathogens implicated in urinary tract and catheter-associated urinary-tract infections of hospitalized patients and compromised individuals. Infections are particularly difficult to treat since most clinical isolates exhibit resistance to several antibiotics leading to treatment failure and the possibility of systemic dissemination. Infections of medical devices such as urinary catheters is a major site of K. pneumoniae infections and has been suggested to involve the formation of biofilms on these surfaces. Over the last decade there has been an increase in research activity designed to investigate the pathogenesis of K. pneumoniae in the urinary tract. These investigations have begun to define the bacterial factors that contribute to growth and biofilm formation. Several virulence factors have been demonstrated to mediate K. pneumoniae infectivity and include, but are most likely not limited to, adherence factors, capsule production, lipopolysaccharide presence, and siderophore activity. The development of both in vitro and in vivo models of infection will lead to further elucidation of the molecular pathogenesis of K. pneumoniae. As for most opportunistic infections, the role of host factors as well as bacterial traits are crucial in determining the outcome of infections. In addition, multidrug-resistant strains of these bacteria have become a serious problem in the treatment of Klebsiella infections and novel strategies to prevent and inhibit bacterial growth need to be developed. Overall, the frequency, significance, and morbidity associated with K. pneumoniae urinary tract infections have increased over many years. The emergence of these bacteria as sources of antibiotic resistance and pathogens of the urinary tract present a challenging problem for the clinician in terms of management and treatment of individuals.
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Dorman CJ, Bogue MM. The interplay between DNA topology and accessory factors in site-specific recombination in bacteria and their bacteriophages. Sci Prog 2016; 99:420-437. [PMID: 28742481 PMCID: PMC10365484 DOI: 10.3184/003685016x14811202974921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific recombination is employed widely in bacteria and bacteriophage as a basis for genetic switching events that control phenotypic variation. It plays a vital role in the life cycles of phages and in the replication cycles of chromosomes and plasmids in bacteria. Site-specific recombinases drive these processes using very short segments of identical (or nearly identical) DNA sequences. In some cases, the efficiencies of the recombination reactions are modulated by the topological state of the participating DNA sequences and by the availability of accessory proteins that shape the DNA. These dependencies link the molecular machines that conduct the recombination reactions to the physiological state of the cell. This is because the topological state of bacterial DNA varies constantly during the growth cycle and so does the availability of the accessory factors. In addition, some accessory factors are under allosteric control by metabolic products or second messengers that report the physiological status of the cell. The interplay between DNA topology, accessory factors and site-specific recombination provides a powerful illustration of the connectedness and integration of molecular events in bacterial cells and in viruses that parasitise bacterial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marina M. Bogue
- Natural Science (Microbiology) from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
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Muskhelishvili G, Travers A. The regulatory role of DNA supercoiling in nucleoprotein complex assembly and genetic activity. Biophys Rev 2016; 8:5-22. [PMID: 28510220 PMCID: PMC5425797 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-016-0237-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
We argue that dynamic changes in DNA supercoiling in vivo determine both how DNA is packaged and how it is accessed for transcription and for other manipulations such as recombination. In both bacteria and eukaryotes, the principal generators of DNA superhelicity are DNA translocases, supplemented in bacteria by DNA gyrase. By generating gradients of superhelicity upstream and downstream of their site of activity, translocases enable the differential binding of proteins which preferentially interact with respectively more untwisted or more writhed DNA. Such preferences enable, in principle, the sequential binding of different classes of protein and so constitute an essential driver of chromatin organization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew Travers
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK.
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The UbiI (VisC) Aerobic Ubiquinone Synthase Is Required for Expression of Type 1 Pili, Biofilm Formation, and Pathogenesis in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 2016; 198:2662-72. [PMID: 27161114 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00030-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), which causes the majority of urinary tract infections (UTI), uses pilus-mediated adherence to initiate biofilm formation in the urinary tract. Oxygen gradients within E. coli biofilms regulate expression and localization of adhesive type 1 pili. A transposon mutant screen for strains defective in biofilm formation identified the ubiI (formerly visC) aerobic ubiquinone synthase gene as critical for UPEC biofilm formation. In this study, we characterized a nonpolar ubiI deletion mutant and compared its behavior to that of wild-type bacteria grown under aerobic and anoxic conditions. Consistent with its function as an aerobic ubiquinone-8 synthase, deletion of ubiI in UPEC resulted in reduced membrane potential, diminished motility, and reduced expression of chaperone-usher pathway pili. Loss of aerobic respiration was previously shown to negatively impact expression of type 1 pili. To determine whether this reduction in type 1 pili was due to an energy deficit, wild-type UPEC and the ubiI mutant were compared for energy-dependent phenotypes under anoxic conditions, in which quinone synthesis is undertaken by anaerobic quinone synthases. Under anoxic conditions, the two strains exhibited wild-type levels of motility but produced diminished numbers of type 1 pili, suggesting that the reduction of type 1 pilus expression in the absence of oxygen is not due to a cellular energy deficit. Acute- and chronic-infection studies in a mouse model of UTI revealed a significant virulence deficit in the ubiI mutant, indicating that UPEC encounters enough oxygen in the bladder to induce aerobic ubiquinone synthesis during infection. IMPORTANCE The majority of urinary tract infections are caused by uropathogenic E. coli, a bacterium that can respire in the presence and absence of oxygen. The bladder environment is hypoxic, with oxygen concentrations ranging from 4% to 7%, compared to 21% atmospheric oxygen. This work provides evidence that aerobic ubiquinone synthesis must be engaged during bladder infection, indicating that UPEC bacteria sense and use oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor in the bladder and that this ability drives infection potential despite the fact that UPEC is a facultative anaerobe.
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Zhang H, Susanto TT, Wan Y, Chen SL. Comprehensive mutagenesis of the fimS promoter regulatory switch reveals novel regulation of type 1 pili in uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:4182-7. [PMID: 27035967 PMCID: PMC4839427 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1522958113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Type 1 pili (T1P) are major virulence factors for uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), which cause both acute and recurrent urinary tract infections. T1P expression therefore is of direct relevance for disease. T1P are phase variable (both piliated and nonpiliated bacteria exist in a clonal population) and are controlled by an invertible DNA switch (fimS), which contains the promoter for the fim operon encoding T1P. Inversion of fimS is stochastic but may be biased by environmental conditions and other signals that ultimately converge at fimS itself. Previous studies of fimS sequences important for T1P phase variation have focused on laboratory-adapted E coli strains and have been limited in the number of mutations or by alteration of the fimS genomic context. We surmounted these limitations by using saturating genomic mutagenesis of fimS coupled with accurate sequencing to detect both mutations and phase status simultaneously. In addition to the sequences known to be important for biasing fimS inversion, our method also identifies a previously unknown pair of 5' UTR inverted repeats that act by altering the relative fimA levels to control phase variation. Thus we have uncovered an additional layer of T1P regulation potentially impacting virulence and the coordinate expression of multiple pilus systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huibin Zhang
- Infectious Diseases Group, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore 138672
| | - Teodorus T Susanto
- Stem Cell and Development, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore 138672
| | - Yue Wan
- Stem Cell and Development, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore 138672
| | - Swaine L Chen
- Infectious Diseases Group, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore 138672; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119074
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30
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Leclerc JM, Quevillon EL, Houde Y, Paranjape K, Dozois CM, Daigle F. Regulation and production of Tcf, a cable-like fimbriae from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2016; 162:777-788. [PMID: 26944792 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
tcf (Typhi colonization factor) is one of the 12 putative chaperone/usher fimbrial clusters present in the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi genome. We investigated the production, expression and regulation of tcf as well as its role during interaction with human cells. The tcf gene cluster was cloned and induced in Escherichia coli and S. Typhi, and the production of intertwined fibres similar to the Cbl (cable) pili of Burkholderia cepacia was observed on the bacterial surface by electron microscopy. In S. Typhi, tcf was expressed more after growth in M63 minimal medium than in standard Luria-Bertani medium. Analysis of the promoter region identified putative binding sites for the global regulators RcsB, ArgR and Fur. The expression of tcf was measured in isogenic strains lacking these global regulators. Under the conditions tested, the results showed that tcf expression was higher in the fur mutant and was regulated by iron concentration. Fur may regulate these fimbriae indirectly via the small RNAs RyhB1 and RyhB2. An isogenic mutant harbouring a deletion of the tcf cluster did not demonstrate any defect in adhesion or invasion of human epithelial cells, or in phagocytosis or survival in macrophages, when compared to the WT serovar Typhi strain. However, the tcf cluster contributed to adherence to human epithelial cells when introduced into E. coli. Thus, tcf genes encode functional fimbriae that can act as an adhesin and may contribute to colonization during typhoid fever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Mathieu Leclerc
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal,CP 6128 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7,Canada
| | - Eve-Lyne Quevillon
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal,CP 6128 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7,Canada
| | - Yoan Houde
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal,CP 6128 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7,Canada
| | - Kiran Paranjape
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal,CP 6128 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7,Canada
| | - Charles M Dozois
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier,531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec H7V 1B7,Canada
| | - France Daigle
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal,CP 6128 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7,Canada
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31
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Wang ZC, Liu CJ, Huang YJ, Wang YS, Peng HL. PecS regulates the urate-responsive expression of type 1 fimbriae in Klebsiella pneumoniae CG43. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2015; 161:2395-409. [PMID: 26385366 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
In the Klebsiella pneumoniae CG43 genome, the divergently transcribed genes coding for PecS, the MarR-type transcription factor, and PecM, the drug metabolite transporter, are located between the type 1 and type 3 fimbrial gene clusters. The intergenic sequence pecO between pecS and pecM contains three putative PecS binding sites and a CpxR box. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that the recombinant PecS and CpxR could specifically bind to the pecO sequence, and the specific interaction of PecS and pecO could be attenuated by urate. The expression of pecS and pecM was negatively regulated by CpxAR and PecS, and was inducible by exogenous urate in the absence of cpxAR. Compared with CG43S3ΔcpxAR, the derived mutants CG43S3ΔcpxARΔpecS and CG43S3ΔcpxARΔpecSΔpecM exerted similar levels of sensitivity to H2O2 or paraquat, but higher levels of mannose-sensitive yeast agglutination activity and FimA production. The promoter activity and transcript levels of fimA in CG43S3ΔcpxAR were also increased by deleting pecS. However, no binding activity between PecS and the fimA promoter could be observed. Nevertheless, PecS deletion could reduce the expression of the global regulator HNS and release the negative effect of HNS on FimA expression. In CG43S3ΔcpxAR, the expression of FimA as well as PecS was inducible by urate, whilst urate-induced FimA expression was inhibited by the deletion of pecS. Taken together, we propose that K. pneumoniae PecS indirectly and negatively regulates the expression of type 1 fimbriae, and the regulation is urate-inducible in the absence of CpxAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe-Chong Wang
- 1 Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin Chu, ROC
| | - Chia-Jui Liu
- 1 Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin Chu, ROC
| | - Ying-Jung Huang
- 2 Division of Hematology-Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao Yuan, ROC
| | - Yu-Seng Wang
- 1 Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin Chu, ROC
| | - Hwei-Ling Peng
- 1 Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin Chu, ROC
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Hussa EA, Casanova-Torres ÁM, Goodrich-Blair H. The Global Transcription Factor Lrp Controls Virulence Modulation in Xenorhabdus nematophila. J Bacteriol 2015; 197:3015-25. [PMID: 26170407 PMCID: PMC4542165 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00272-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila engages in phenotypic variation with respect to pathogenicity against insect larvae, yielding both virulent and attenuated subpopulations of cells from an isogenic culture. The global regulatory protein Lrp is necessary for X. nematophila virulence and immunosuppression in insects, as well as colonization of the mutualistic host nematode Steinernema carpocapsae, and mediates expression of numerous genes implicated in each of these phenotypes. Given the central role of Lrp in X. nematophila host associations, as well as its involvement in regulating phenotypic variation pathways in other bacteria, we assessed its function in virulence modulation. We discovered that expression of lrp varies within an isogenic population, in a manner that correlates with modulation of virulence. Unexpectedly, although Lrp is necessary for optimal virulence and immunosuppression, cells expressing high levels of lrp were attenuated in these processes relative to those with low to intermediate lrp expression. Furthermore, fixed expression of lrp at high and low levels resulted in attenuated and normal virulence and immunosuppression, respectively, and eliminated population variability of these phenotypes. These data suggest that fluctuating lrp expression levels are sufficient to drive phenotypic variation in X. nematophila. IMPORTANCE Many bacteria use cell-to-cell phenotypic variation, characterized by distinct phenotypic subpopulations within an isogenic population, to cope with environmental change. Pathogenic bacteria utilize this strategy to vary antigen or virulence factor expression. Our work establishes that the global transcription factor Lrp regulates phenotypic variation in the insect pathogen Xenorhabdus nematophila, leading to attenuation of virulence and immunosuppression in insect hosts. Unexpectedly, we found an inverse correlation between Lrp expression levels and virulence: high levels of expression of Lrp-dependent putative virulence genes are detrimental for virulence but may have an adaptive advantage in other aspects of the life cycle. Investigation of X. nematophila phenotypic variation facilitates dissection of this phenomenon in the context of a naturally occurring symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Hussa
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Heidi Goodrich-Blair
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Sharadamma N, Harshavardhana Y, Ravishankar A, Anand P, Chandra N, Muniyappa K. Molecular Dissection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Integration Host Factor Reveals Novel Insights into the Mode of DNA Binding and Nucleoid Compaction. Biochemistry 2015; 54:4142-60. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b00447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Apoorva Ravishankar
- Department of
Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Praveen Anand
- Department of
Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Nagasuma Chandra
- Department of
Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - K. Muniyappa
- Department of
Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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34
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Devaraj A, Justice SS, Bakaletz LO, Goodman SD. DNABII proteins play a central role in UPEC biofilm structure. Mol Microbiol 2015; 96:1119-35. [PMID: 25757804 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Most chronic and recurrent bacterial infections involve a biofilm component, the foundation of which is the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is a conserved and key component of the EPS of pathogenic biofilms. The DNABII protein family includes integration host factor (IHF) and histone-like protein (HU); both are present in the extracellular milieu. We have shown previously that the DNABII proteins are often found in association with eDNA and are critical for the structural integrity of bacterial communities that utilize eDNA as a matrix component. Here, we demonstrate that uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strain UTI89 incorporates eDNA within its biofilm matrix and that the DNABII proteins are not only important for biofilm growth, but are limiting; exogenous addition of these proteins promotes biofilm formation that is dependent on eDNA. In addition, we show that both subunits of IHF, yet only one subunit of HU (HupB), are critical for UPEC biofilm development. We discuss the roles of these proteins in context of the UPEC EPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aishwarya Devaraj
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Sheryl S Justice
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Lauren O Bakaletz
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Steven D Goodman
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
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35
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Floyd KA, Moore JL, Eberly AR, Good JAD, Shaffer CL, Zaver H, Almqvist F, Skaar EP, Caprioli RM, Hadjifrangiskou M. Adhesive fiber stratification in uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilms unveils oxygen-mediated control of type 1 pili. PLoS Pathog 2015; 11:e1004697. [PMID: 25738819 PMCID: PMC4349694 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial biofilms account for a significant number of hospital-acquired infections and complicate treatment options, because bacteria within biofilms are generally more tolerant to antibiotic treatment. This resilience is attributed to transient bacterial subpopulations that arise in response to variations in the microenvironment surrounding the biofilm. Here, we probed the spatial proteome of surface-associated single-species biofilms formed by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the major causative agent of community-acquired and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. We used matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to analyze the spatial proteome of intact biofilms in situ. MALDI-TOF IMS revealed protein species exhibiting distinct localizations within surface-associated UPEC biofilms, including two adhesive fibers critical for UPEC biofilm formation and virulence: type 1 pili (Fim) localized exclusively to the air-exposed region, while curli amyloid fibers localized to the air-liquid interface. Comparison of cells grown aerobically, fermentatively, or utilizing an alternative terminal electron acceptor showed that the phase-variable fim promoter switched to the “OFF” orientation under oxygen-deplete conditions, leading to marked reduction of type 1 pili on the bacterial cell surface. Conversely, S pili whose expression is inversely related to fim expression were up-regulated under anoxic conditions. Tethering the fim promoter in the “ON” orientation in anaerobically grown cells only restored type 1 pili production in the presence of an alternative terminal electron acceptor beyond oxygen. Together these data support the presence of at least two regulatory mechanisms controlling fim expression in response to oxygen availability and may contribute to the stratification of extracellular matrix components within the biofilm. MALDI IMS facilitated the discovery of these mechanisms, and we have demonstrated that this technology can be used to interrogate subpopulations within bacterial biofilms. Bacteria are commonly found in multicellular communities known as biofilms. Biofilms can form on a variety of surfaces, both outside and within living things, and can have detrimental effects on human health. The characteristics of bacteria occupying different areas within biofilms are not well understood, and such knowledge is critical for understanding how biofilms form and for developing strategies to treat biofilm-related infections. Here, we adapted a technique to sample how proteins cluster within bacterial biofilms as a means to identify the location of bacteria with differential protein expression within the community. We observed that with uropathogenic E. coli, which is the major cause of urinary tract and catheter-associated urinary tract infections, bacteria close to the air-exposed region of the biofilm expressed different adhesive fibers compared to those at the liquid interface. We went on to show that lack of oxygen shuts down the production of fibers known to be critical for adherence to host bladder cells and to catheter material. This discovery was enabled by a new application of an existing technology that allowed us to gain insights into the spatial regulation of proteins within bacterial biofilms and to elucidate pathways that could be targeted to inhibit bacterial adherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle A. Floyd
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Jessica L. Moore
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Allison R. Eberly
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - James A. D. Good
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Umeå Center for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Carrie L. Shaffer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Himesh Zaver
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Biology and Department of Chemistry, Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Fredrik Almqvist
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Umeå Center for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Eric P. Skaar
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Richard M. Caprioli
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Departments of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RMC); (MH)
| | - Maria Hadjifrangiskou
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RMC); (MH)
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Abstract
Chaperone-usher pathway (CUP) pili are extracellular organelles produced by Gram-negative bacteria that mediate bacterial pathogenesis. Small-molecule inhibitors of CUP pili, termed pilicides, were rationally designed and shown to inhibit type 1 or P piliation. Here, we show that pilicide ec240 decreased the levels of type 1, P, and S piliation. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses using the cystitis isolate UTI89 revealed that ec240 dysregulated CUP pili and decreased motility. Paradoxically, the transcript levels of P and S pilus genes were increased during growth in ec240, even though the level of P and S piliation decreased. In contrast, the most downregulated transcripts after growth in ec240 were from the type 1 pilus genes. Type 1 pilus expression is controlled by inversion of the fimS promoter element, which can oscillate between phase on and phase off orientations. ec240 induced the fimS phase off orientation, and this effect was necessary for the majority of ec240’s inhibition of type 1 piliation. ec240 increased levels of the transcriptional regulators SfaB and PapB, which were shown to induce the fimS promoter phase off orientation. Furthermore, the effect of ec240 on motility was abolished in the absence of the SfaB, PapB, SfaX, and PapX regulators. In contrast to the effects of ec240, deletion of the type 1 pilus operon led to increased S and P piliation and motility. Thus, ec240 dysregulated several uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) virulence factors through different mechanisms and independent of its effects on type 1 pilus biogenesis and may have potential as an antivirulence compound. CUP pili and flagella play active roles in the pathogenesis of a variety of Gram-negative bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections mediated by UPEC. These are extremely common infections that are often recurrent and increasingly caused by antibiotic-resistant organisms. Preventing piliation and motility through altered regulation and assembly of these important virulence factors could aid in the development of novel therapeutics. This study increases our understanding of the regulation of these virulence factors, providing new avenues by which to target their expression.
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37
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Sharadamma N, Harshavardhana Y, Ravishankar A, Anand P, Chandra N, Muniyappa K. Molecular dissection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis integration host factor reveals novel insights into the mode of DNA binding and nucleoid compaction. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:34325-40. [PMID: 25324543 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.608596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The annotated whole-genome sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed that Rv1388 (Mtihf) is likely to encode for a putative 20-kDa integration host factor (mIHF). However, very little is known about the functional properties of mIHF or the organization of the mycobacterial nucleoid. Molecular modeling of the mIHF three-dimensional structure, based on the cocrystal structure of Streptomyces coelicolor IHF duplex DNA, a bona fide relative of mIHF, revealed the presence of Arg-170, Arg-171, and Arg-173, which might be involved in DNA binding, and a conserved proline (Pro-150) in the tight turn. The phenotypic sensitivity of Escherichia coli ΔihfA and ΔihfB strains to UV and methyl methanesulfonate could be complemented with the wild-type Mtihf but not its alleles bearing mutations in the DNA-binding residues. Protein-DNA interaction assays revealed that wild-type mIHF, but not its DNA-binding variants, binds with high affinity to fragments containing attB and attP sites and curved DNA. Strikingly, the functionally important amino acid residues of mIHF and the mechanism(s) underlying its binding to DNA, DNA bending, and site-specific recombination are fundamentally different from that of E. coli IHFαβ. Furthermore, we reveal novel insights into IHF-mediated DNA compaction depending on the placement of its preferred binding sites; mIHF promotes DNA compaction into nucleoid-like or higher order filamentous structures. We therefore propose that mIHF is a distinct member of a subfamily of proteins that serve as essential cofactors in site-specific recombination and nucleoid organization and that these findings represent a significant advance in our understanding of the role(s) of nucleoid-associated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Apoorva Ravishankar
- From the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Praveen Anand
- From the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Nagasuma Chandra
- From the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - K Muniyappa
- From the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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Bateman SL, Stapleton AE, Stamm WE, Hooton TM, Seed PC. The type 1 pili regulator gene fimX and pathogenicity island PAI-X as molecular markers of uropathogenic Escherichia coli. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2013; 159:1606-1617. [PMID: 23744903 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.066472-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) fall within a larger group of isolates producing extraintestinal disease. UPEC express type 1 pili as a critical virulence determinant mediating adherence to and invasion into urinary tract tissues. Type 1 pili expression is under regulation by a family of site-specific recombinases, including FimX, which is encoded from a genomic island called PAI-X for pathogenicity island of FimX. Using a new multiplex PCR, fimX and the additional PAI-X genes were found to be highly associated with UPEC (144/173 = 83.2 %), and more prevalent in UPEC of lower urinary tract origin (105/120 = 87.5 %) than upper urinary tract origin (39/53 = 74 %; P<0.05) or commensal isolates (28/78 = 36 %; P≤0.0001). The Fim-like recombinase gene fimX is the only family member that has a significant association with UPEC compared to commensal isolates. Our results indicate PAI-X genes, including the type 1 pili regulator gene fimX, are highly prevalent among UPEC isolates and have a strong positive correlation with genomic virulence factors, suggesting a potential role for PAI-X in the extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey L Bateman
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Ann E Stapleton
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Walter E Stamm
- Deceased.,Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Thomas M Hooton
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33146, USA
| | - Patrick C Seed
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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39
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Murphy CN, Clegg S. Klebsiella pneumoniae and type 3 fimbriae: nosocomial infection, regulation and biofilm formation. Future Microbiol 2013; 7:991-1002. [PMID: 22913357 DOI: 10.2217/fmb.12.74] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae is responsible for causing a spectrum of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Globally, K. pneumoniae is a frequently encountered hospital-acquired opportunistic pathogen that typically infects patients with indwelling medical devices. Biofilm formation on these devices is important in the pathogenesis of these bacteria, and in K. pneumoniae, type 3 fimbriae have been identified as appendages mediating the formation of biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces. The factors influencing the regulation of type 3 fimbrial gene expression are largely unknown but recent investigations have indicated that gene expression is regulated, at least in part, by the intracellular levels of cyclic di-GMP. In this review, we have highlighted the recent studies that have worked to elucidate the mechanism by which type 3 fimbrial expression is controlled and the studies that have established the importance of type 3 fimbriae for biofilm formation and nosocomial infection by K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin N Murphy
- Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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40
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Justice SS, Li B, Downey JS, Dabdoub SM, Brockson ME, Probst GD, Ray WC, Goodman SD. Aberrant community architecture and attenuated persistence of uropathogenic Escherichia coli in the absence of individual IHF subunits. PLoS One 2012; 7:e48349. [PMID: 23133584 PMCID: PMC3485042 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2012] [Accepted: 09/24/2012] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) utilizes a complex community-based developmental pathway for growth within superficial epithelial cells of the bladder during cystitis. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is a common matrix component of organized bacterial communities. Integration host factor (IHF) is a heterodimeric protein that binds to double-stranded DNA and produces a hairpin bend. IHF-dependent DNA architectural changes act both intrabacterially and extrabacterially to regulate gene expression and community stability, respectively. We demonstrate that both IHF subunits are required for efficient colonization of the bladder, but are dispensable for early colonization of the kidney. The community architecture of the intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs) is quantitatively different in the absence of either IhfA or IhfB in the murine model for human urinary tract infection (UTI). Restoration of Type 1 pili by ectopic production does not restore colonization in the absence of IhfA, but partially compensates in the absence of IhfB. Furthermore, we describe a binding site for IHF that is upstream of the operon that encodes for the P-pilus. Taken together, these data suggest that both IHF and its constituent subunits (independent of the heterodimer), are able to participate in multiple aspects of the UPEC pathogenic lifestyle, and may have utility as a target for treatment of bacterial cystitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheryl S. Justice
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics and Urology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SJ); (SDG)
| | - Birong Li
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Jennifer S. Downey
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Shareef M. Dabdoub
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - M. Elizabeth Brockson
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - G. Duane Probst
- Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - William C. Ray
- Battelle Center for Mathematical Medicine, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Steven D. Goodman
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SJ); (SDG)
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41
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Lange C, Mustafi N, Frunzke J, Kennerknecht N, Wessel M, Bott M, Wendisch VF. Lrp of Corynebacterium glutamicum controls expression of the brnFE operon encoding the export system for l-methionine and branched-chain amino acids. J Biotechnol 2012; 158:231-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2011.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2011] [Revised: 05/13/2011] [Accepted: 06/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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42
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Prieto AI, Kahramanoglou C, Ali RM, Fraser GM, Seshasayee ASN, Luscombe NM. Genomic analysis of DNA binding and gene regulation by homologous nucleoid-associated proteins IHF and HU in Escherichia coli K12. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:3524-37. [PMID: 22180530 PMCID: PMC3333857 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr1236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Revised: 11/24/2011] [Accepted: 11/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
IHF and HU are two heterodimeric nucleoid-associated proteins (NAP) that belong to the same protein family but interact differently with the DNA. IHF is a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein that bends the DNA by over 160°. HU is the most conserved NAP, which binds non-specifically to duplex DNA with a particular preference for targeting nicked and bent DNA. Despite their importance, the in vivo interactions of the two proteins to the DNA remain to be described at a high resolution and on a genome-wide scale. Further, the effects of these proteins on gene expression on a global scale remain contentious. Finally, the contrast between the functions of the homo- and heterodimeric forms of proteins deserves the attention of further study. Here we present a genome-scale study of HU- and IHF binding to the Escherichia coli K12 chromosome using ChIP-seq. We also perform microarray analysis of gene expression in single- and double-deletion mutants of each protein to identify their regulons. The sequence-specific binding profile of IHF encompasses ∼30% of all operons, though the expression of <10% of these is affected by its deletion suggesting combinatorial control or a molecular backup. The binding profile for HU is reflective of relatively non-specific binding to the chromosome, however, with a preference for A/T-rich DNA. The HU regulon comprises highly conserved genes including those that are essential and possibly supercoiling sensitive. Finally, by performing ChIP-seq experiments, where possible, of each subunit of IHF and HU in the absence of the other subunit, we define genome-wide maps of DNA binding of the proteins in their hetero- and homodimeric forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana I. Prieto
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Christina Kahramanoglou
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Ruhi M. Ali
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Gillian M. Fraser
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Aswin S. N. Seshasayee
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Nicholas M. Luscombe
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
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43
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Bateman SL, Seed PC. Epigenetic regulation of the nitrosative stress response and intracellular macrophage survival by extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli. Mol Microbiol 2012; 83:908-25. [PMID: 22221182 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.07977.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) reside in the enteric tract as a commensal reservoir, but can transition to a pathogenic state by invading normally sterile niches, establishing infection and disseminating to invasive sites like the bloodstream. Macrophages are required for ExPEC dissemination, suggesting the pathogen has developed mechanisms to persist within professional phagocytes. Here, we report that FimX, an ExPEC-associated DNA invertase that regulates the major virulence factor type 1 pili (T1P), is also an epigenetic regulator of a LuxR-like response regulator HyxR. FimX regulated hyxR expression through bidirectional phase inversion of its promoter region at sites different from the type 1 pili promoter and independent of integration host factor (IHF). In vitro, transition from high to low HyxR expression produced enhanced tolerance of reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNIs), primarily through de-repression of hmpA, encoding a nitric oxide-detoxifying flavohaemoglobin. However, in the macrophage, HyxR produced large effects on intracellular survival in the presence and absence of RNI and independent of Hmp. Collectively, we have shown that the ability of ExPEC to survive in macrophages is contingent upon the proper transition from high to low HyxR expression through epigenetic regulatory control by FimX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey L Bateman
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Center for Microbial Pathogenesis Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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Abstract
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the leading cause of urinary tract infections in women, causing significant morbidity and mortality in this population. Adherence to host epithelial cells is a pivotal step in the pathogenesis of UPEC. One of the most important virulence factors involved in mediating this attachment is the type 1 pilus (type 1 fimbria) encoded by a set of fim genes arranged in an operon. The expression of type 1 pili is controlled by a phenomenon known as phase variation, which reversibly switches between the expression of type 1 pili (Phase-ON) and loss of expression (Phase-OFF). Phase-ON cells have the promoter for the fimA structural gene on an invertible DNA element called fimS, which lines up to allow transcription, whereas transcription of the structural gene is silenced in Phase-OFF cells. The orientation of the fimS invertible element is controlled by two site-specific recombinases, FimB and FimE. Environmental conditions cause transcriptional and post-transcriptional changes in UPEC cells that affect the level of regulatory proteins, which in turn play vital roles in modulating this phase switching ability. The role of fim gene regulation in UPEC pathogenesis will be discussed.
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Goodman SD, Obergfell KP, Jurcisek JA, Novotny LA, Downey JS, Ayala EA, Tjokro N, Li B, Justice SS, Bakaletz LO. Biofilms can be dispersed by focusing the immune system on a common family of bacterial nucleoid-associated proteins. Mucosal Immunol 2011; 4:625-37. [PMID: 21716265 DOI: 10.1038/mi.2011.27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria that cause chronic and/or recurrent diseases often rely on a biofilm lifestyle. The foundation of the biofilm structure is the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) that acts as a barrier to both effectors of the immune system and antimicrobial agents. Recent work has highlighted extracellular DNA (eDNA) as a key component common to many pathogenic biofilms. Here, we show that the DNABII family of proteins, well known for their strong structural influences on intracellular DNA, was also critical for the integrity of the EPS matrix of biofilms that contain eDNA. In fact, antisera derived against a purified Escherichia coli DNABII family member rapidly disrupts the biofilm EPS formed by multiple human pathogens in vitro. In addition, when a member of this family of proteins was used as an immunogen in an animal model in which the bacteria had already formed a robust biofilm at the site of infection, the resultant targeted immune response strongly ameliorated this biofilm disease in vivo. Finally, this methodology to debulk the biofilm of EPS was shown to work synergistically with otherwise ineffective traditional anti-microbial approaches in vitro. We discuss the prospects for targeting DNABII family members as a potential universal strategy for treating biofilm diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Goodman
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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Shimada T, Bridier A, Briandet R, Ishihama A. Novel roles of LeuO in transcription regulation of E. coli genome: antagonistic interplay with the universal silencer H-NS. Mol Microbiol 2011; 82:378-97. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07818.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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47
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Ruiz J, Haneburger I, Jung K. Identification of ArgP and Lrp as transcriptional regulators of lysP, the gene encoding the specific lysine permease of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:2536-48. [PMID: 21441513 PMCID: PMC3133163 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00815-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2010] [Accepted: 03/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of lysP, which encodes the lysine-specific transporter LysP in Escherichia coli, is regulated by the concentration of exogenous available lysine. In this study, the LysR-type transcriptional regulator ArgP was identified as the activator of lysP expression. At lysine concentrations higher than 25 μM, lysP expression was shut off and phenocopied an argP deletion mutant. Purified ArgP-His(6) bound to the lysP promoter/control region at a sequence containing a conserved T-N(11)-A motif. Its affinity increased in the presence of lysine but not in the presence of the other known coeffector, arginine. In vivo data suggest that lysine-loaded ArgP and arginine-loaded ArgP compete at the lysP promoter. We propose that lysine-loaded ArgP prevents lysP transcription at the promoter clearance step, as described for the lysine-dependent regulation of argO (R. S. Laishram and J. Gowrishankar, Genes Dev. 21:1258-1272, 2007). The global regulator Lrp also bound to the lysP promoter/control region. An lrp mutant exhibited reduced lysP expression in the absence of external lysine. These results indicate that ArgP is a major regulator of lysP expression but that Lrp modulates lysP transcription under lysine-limiting conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ina Haneburger
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich Center for integrated Protein Science (CiPSM) at the Department of Biology I, Microbiology, Grosshaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Kirsten Jung
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich Center for integrated Protein Science (CiPSM) at the Department of Biology I, Microbiology, Grosshaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
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More than one way to control hair growth: regulatory mechanisms in enterobacteria that affect fimbriae assembled by the chaperone/usher pathway. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:2081-8. [PMID: 21398554 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00071-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many gram-negative enterobacteria produce surface-associated fimbriae that facilitate attachment and adherence to eucaryotic cells and tissues. These organelles are believed to play an important role during infection by enabling bacteria to colonize specific niches within their hosts. One class of these fimbriae is assembled using a periplasmic chaperone and membrane-associated scaffolding protein that has been referred to as an usher because of its function in fimbrial biogenesis. The presence of multiple types of fimbriae assembled by the chaperone/usher pathway can be found both within a single bacterial species and also among different genera. One way of controlling fimbrial assembly in these bacteria is at the genetic level by positively or negatively regulating fimbrial gene expression. This minireview considers the mechanisms that have been described to control fimbrial gene expression and uses specific examples to demonstrate both unique and shared properties of such regulatory mechanisms.
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Rimsky S, Travers A. Pervasive regulation of nucleoid structure and function by nucleoid-associated proteins. Curr Opin Microbiol 2011; 14:136-41. [PMID: 21288763 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2011.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2010] [Revised: 01/07/2011] [Accepted: 01/07/2011] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial DNA is organised in a compact nucleoid body that is tightly associated with the coupled transcription and translation of mRNAs. This structure contains abundant DNA-binding proteins which perform both structural and regulatory roles, and, in Escherichia coli, serve to buffer and organise pervasive DNA superhelicity. We argue that NAPs coordinate regulation of gene expression and superhelicity at the global (or chromosomal) and at local (corresponding to promoter activity and genetic recombination) levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvie Rimsky
- LBPA, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, CNRS, 94235 Cachan, France.
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50
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Browning DF, Grainger DC, Busby SJW. Effects of nucleoid-associated proteins on bacterial chromosome structure and gene expression. Curr Opin Microbiol 2010; 13:773-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2010.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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