Proteomics analysis of the Francisella tularensis LVS response to iron restriction: induction of the F. tularensis pathogenicity island proteins IglABC

The Sensor Kinase QseC Regulates the Unlinked PmrA Response Regulator and Downstream Gene Expression in Francisella

The facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia in humans and animals. Gram-negative bacteria utilize two-component regulatory systems (TCS) to sense and respond to their changing environment. No classical, tandemly arranged sensor kinase and response regulator TCS genes exist in the human virulent Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis, but orphaned members are present. PmrA is an orphan response regulator responsible for intramacrophage growth and virulence; however, the regulation of PmrA activity is not understood. We and others have shown that PmrA represses the expression of priM, described to encode an antivirulence determinant. By screening a mutant library for increased priM promoter activity, we identified the sensor kinase homolog QseC as an upstream regulator of priM expression, and this regulation is in part dependent upon the aspartate phosphorylation site of PmrA (D51). Several examined environmental signals, including epinephrine, which is reported to activate QseC in other bacteria, do not affect priM expression in a manner dependent on PmrA. Intramacrophage survival assays also question the finding that PriM is an antivirulence factor. Thus, these data suggest that the PmrA-regulated gene priM is modulated by the QseC-PmrA (QseB) TCS in Francisella IMPORTANCE The disease tularemia is caused by the highly infectious Gram-negative pathogen Francisella tularensis This bacterium encodes few regulatory factors (e.g., two-component systems [TCS]). PmrA, required for intramacrophage survival and virulence in the mouse model, is encoded by an orphan TCS response regulator gene. It is unclear how PmrA is responsive to environmental signals to regulate loci, including the PmrA-repressed gene priM We identify an orphan sensor kinase (QseC) that is required for priM repression and further explore both environmental signals that might regulate the QseC-PmrA TCS and the function of PriM.

Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica Releases Differentially Loaded Outer Membrane Vesicles Under Various Stress Conditions

Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium, causing a severe disease called tularemia. It secretes unusually shaped nanotubular outer membrane vesicles (OMV) loaded with a number of virulence factors and immunoreactive proteins. In the present study, the vesicles were purified from a clinical isolate of subsp. holarctica strain FSC200. We here provide a comprehensive proteomic characterization of OMV using a novel approach in which a comparison of OMV and membrane fraction is performed in order to find proteins selectively enriched in OMV vs. membrane. Only these proteins were further considered to be really involved in the OMV function and/or their exceptional structure. OMV were also isolated from bacteria cultured under various cultivation conditions simulating the diverse environments of F. tularensis life cycle. These included conditions mimicking the milieu inside the mammalian host during inflammation: oxidative stress, low pH, and high temperature (42°C); and in contrast, low temperature (25°C). We observed several-fold increase in vesiculation rate and significant protein cargo changes for high temperature and low pH. Further proteomic characterization of stress-derived OMV gave us an insight how the bacterium responds to the hostile environment of a mammalian host through the release of differentially loaded OMV. Among the proteins preferentially and selectively packed into OMV during stressful cultivations, the previously described virulence factors connected to the unique intracellular trafficking of Francisella were detected. Considerable changes were also observed in a number of proteins involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of the bacterial envelope components like O-antigen, lipid A, phospholipids, and fatty acids. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD013074.

Comparative transcriptomic and proteomic analyses reveal upregulated expression of virulence and iron transport factors of Aeromonas hydrophila under iron limitation

Background

Iron plays important roles in the growth, reproduction and pathogenicity of Aeromonas hydrophila. In this study, we detected and compared the mRNA and protein expression profiles of A. hydrophila under normal and iron restricted medium with 200 μM 2,2-Dipyridyl using RNA Sequencing (RNA-seq) and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) analyses.

Results

There were 1204 genes (601 up- and 603 down-regulated) and 236 proteins (90 up- and 146 down-regulated) shown to be differentially expressed, and 167 genes and proteins that showed consistent expression. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes and proteins were mainly involved in iron ion transport, protein activity, energy metabolism and virulence processes. Further validation of the RNA-seq and iTRAQ results by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) revealed that 18 of the 20 selected genes were consistently expressed. The iron-ion absorption and concentration of A. hydrophila under iron-limited conditions were enhanced, and most virulence factors (protease activity, hemolytic activity, lipase activity, and swimming ability) were also increased. Artificial A. hydrophila infection caused higher mortality in cyprinid Megalobrama amblycephala under iron-limited conditions.

Conclusion

Understanding the responses of pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila within the hostile environment of the fish host, devoid of free iron, is important to reveal bacterial infection and pathogenesis. This study further confirmed the previous finding that iron-limitation efficiently enhanced the virulence of A. hydrophila using multi-omics analyses. We identified differentially expressed genes and proteins, related to enterobactin synthesis and virulence establishment, that play important roles in addressing iron scarcity.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12866-018-1178-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Differential Growth of Francisella tularensis, Which Alters Expression of Virulence Factors, Dominant Antigens, and Surface-Carbohydrate Synthases, Governs the Apparent Virulence of Ft SchuS4 to Immunized Animals

The gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis (Ft) is both a potential biological weapon and a naturally occurring microbe that survives in arthropods, fresh water amoeba, and mammals with distinct phenotypes in various environments. Previously, we used a number of measurements to characterize Ft grown in Brain-Heart Infusion (BHI) broth as (1) more similar to infection-derived bacteria, and (2) slightly more virulent in naïve animals, compared to Ft grown in Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB). In these studies we observed that the free amino acids in MHB repress expression of select Ft virulence factors by an unknown mechanism. Here, we tested the hypotheses that Ft grown in BHI (BHI-Ft) accurately displays a full protein composition more similar to that reported for infection-derived Ft and that this similarity would make BHI-Ft more susceptible to pre-existing, vaccine-induced immunity than MHB-Ft. We performed comprehensive proteomic analysis of Ft grown in MHB, BHI, and BHI supplemented with casamino acids (BCA) and compared our findings to published “omics” data derived from Ft grown in vivo. Based on the abundance of ~1,000 proteins, the fingerprint of BHI-Ft is one of nutrient-deprived bacteria that—through induction of a stringent-starvation-like response—have induced the FevR regulon for expression of the bacterium's virulence factors, immuno-dominant antigens, and surface-carbohydrate synthases. To test the notion that increased abundance of dominant antigens expressed by BHI-Ft would render these bacteria more susceptible to pre-existing, vaccine-induced immunity, we employed a battery of LVS-vaccination and S4-challenge protocols using MHB- and BHI-grown Ft S4. Contrary to our hypothesis, these experiments reveal that LVS-immunization provides a barrier to infection that is significantly more effective against an MHB-S4 challenge than a BHI-S4 challenge. The differences in apparent virulence to immunized mice are profoundly greater than those observed with primary infection of naïve mice. Our findings suggest that tularemia vaccination studies should be critically evaluated in regard to the growth conditions of the challenge agent.

Iron and Virulence in Francisella tularensis

Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects a variety of cell types including macrophages, and propagates with great efficiency in the cytoplasm. Iron, essential for key enzymatic and redox reactions, is among the nutrients required to support this pathogenic lifestyle and the bacterium relies on specialized mechanisms to acquire iron within the host environment. Two distinct pathways for iron acquisition are encoded by the F. tularensis genome- a siderophore-dependent ferric iron uptake system and a ferrous iron transport system. Genes of the Fur-regulated fslABCDEF operon direct the production and transport of the siderophore rhizoferrin. Siderophore biosynthesis involves enzymes FslA and FslC, while export across the inner membrane is mediated by FslB. Uptake of the rhizoferrin- ferric iron complex is effected by the siderophore receptor FslE in the outer membrane in a TonB-independent process, and FslD is responsible for uptake across the inner membrane. Ferrous iron uptake relies largely on high affinity transport by FupA in the outer membrane, while the Fur-regulated FeoB protein mediates transport across the inner membrane. FslE and FupA are paralogous proteins, sharing sequence similarity and possibly sharing structural features as well. This review summarizes current knowledge of iron acquisition in this organism and the critical role of these uptake systems in bacterial pathogenicity.

Comparative Analysis of Proteome Patterns of Francisella tularensis Isolates from Patients and the Environment

Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia. Although major contributors and the main mechanism of the virulence are well known, some of the molecular details are still missing. Proteomics studies regarding F. tularensis have provided snapshot pictures of the organism grown under different culture conditions to understand the mechanism of virulence. In general, such studies were carried out with standard strains e.g., LVS and did not involve comparisons of F. tularensis isolates from either clinical or environmental sources. In this study, we performed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE)-based proteomic analysis and compared the protein profiles of the F. tularensis subsp. holarctica strains isolated from the clinical and the environmental samples. Regulations were detected in 14 spots when twofold regulation criteria were applied. The regulated protein spots were subjected to MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis and identified. Classification of the identified proteins based on metabolic functions revealed that the translation machinery was the most varying metabolic processes among the isolates. Using normalized protein spot intensities, PCA analysis was also performed. The results indicated that the strain isolated from water source was different then the strains isolated from the patients. Most interestingly, the isolates were strikingly distinguishable from the standard NCTC 10857 strain.

Identification of Differentially Abundant Proteins of Edwardsiella ictaluri during Iron Restriction

Edwardsiella ictaluri is a Gram-negative facultative anaerobe intracellular bacterium that causes enteric septicemia in channel catfish. Iron is an essential inorganic nutrient of bacteria and is crucial for bacterial invasion. Reduced availability of iron by the host may cause significant stress for bacterial pathogens and is considered a signal that leads to significant alteration in virulence gene expression. However, the precise effect of iron-restriction on E. ictaluri protein abundance is unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify differentially abundant proteins of E. ictaluri during in vitro iron-restricted conditions. We applied two-dimensional difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) for determining differentially abundant proteins and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF/TOF MS) for protein identification. Gene ontology and pathway-based functional modeling of differentially abundant proteins was also conducted. A total of 50 unique differentially abundant proteins at a minimum of 2-fold (p ≤ 0.05) difference in abundance due to iron-restriction were detected. The numbers of up- and down-regulated proteins were 37 and 13, respectively. We noted several proteins, including EsrB, LamB, MalM, MalE, FdaA, and TonB-dependent heme/hemoglobin receptor family proteins responded to iron restriction in E. ictaluri.

FeoB-mediated uptake of iron by Francisella tularensis

Francisella tularensis, the bacterial cause of tularemia, infects the liver and replicates in hepatocytes in vivo and in vitro. However, the factors that govern adaptation of F. tularensis to the intrahepatocytic niche have not been identified. Using cDNA microarrays, we determined the transcriptional profile of the live vaccine strain (LVS) of F. tularensis grown in the FL83B murine hepatocytic cell line compared to that of F. tularensis cultured in broth. The fslC gene of the fsl operon was the most highly upregulated. Deletion of fslC eliminated the ability of the LVS to produce siderophore, which is involved in uptake of ferric iron, but it did not impair its growth in hepatocytes, A549 epithelial cells, or macrophages. Therefore, we sought an alternative means by which F. tularensis might obtain iron. Deletion of feoB, which encodes a putative ferrous iron transporter, retarded replication of the LVS in iron-restricted media, reduced its growth in hepatocytic and epithelial cells, and impaired its acquisition of iron. Survival of mice infected intradermally with a lethal dose of the LVS was slightly improved by deletion of fslC but was not altered by loss of feoB. However, the ΔfeoB mutant showed diminished ability to colonize the lungs, liver, and spleen of mice that received sublethal inocula. Thus, FeoB represents a previously unidentified mechanism for uptake of iron by F. tularensis. Moreover, failure to produce a mutant strain lacking both feoB and fslC suggests that FeoB and the proteins of the fsl operon are the only major means by which F. tularensis acquires iron.

The francisella tularensis proteome and its recognition by antibodies

Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of a spectrum of diseases collectively known as tularemia. The extreme virulence of the pathogen in humans, combined with the low infectious dose and the ease of dissemination by aerosol have led to concerns about its abuse as a bioweapon. Until recently, nothing was known about the virulence mechanisms and even now, there is still a relatively poor understanding of pathogen virulence. Completion of increasing numbers of Francisella genome sequences, combined with comparative genomics and proteomics studies, are contributing to the knowledge in this area. Tularemia may be treated with antibiotics, but there is currently no licensed vaccine. An attenuated strain, the Live Vaccine Strain (LVS) has been used to vaccinate military and at risk laboratory personnel, but safety concerns mean that it is unlikely to be licensed by the FDA for general use. Little is known about the protective immunity induced by vaccination with LVS, in humans or animal models. Immunoproteomics studies with sera from infected humans or vaccinated mouse strains, are being used in gel-based or proteome microarray approaches to give insight into the humoral immune response. In addition, these data have the potential to be exploited in the identification of new diagnostic or protective antigens, the design of next generation live vaccine strains, and the development of subunit vaccines. Herein, we briefly review the current knowledge from Francisella comparative proteomics studies and then focus upon the findings from immunoproteomics approaches.

Regulation of francisella tularensis virulence

Francisella tularensis is one of the most virulent bacteria known and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category A select agent. It is able to infect a variety of animals and insects and can persist in the environment, thus Francisella spp. must be able to survive in diverse environmental niches. However, F. tularensis has a surprising dearth of sensory and regulatory factors. Recent advancements in the field have identified new functions of encoded transcription factors and greatly expanded our understanding of virulence gene regulation. Here we review the current knowledge of environmental adaptation by F. tularensis, its transcriptional regulators and their relationship to animal virulence.

The Role of the Francisella Tularensis Pathogenicity Island in Type VI Secretion, Intracellular Survival, and Modulation of Host Cell Signaling

Francisella tularensis is a highly virulent gram-negative intracellular bacterium that causes the zoonotic disease tularemia. Essential for its virulence is the ability to multiply within host cells, in particular monocytic cells. The bacterium has developed intricate means to subvert host immune mechanisms and thereby facilitate its intracellular survival by preventing phagolysosomal fusion followed by escape into the cytosol, where it multiplies. Moreover, it targets and manipulates numerous host cell signaling pathways, thereby ameliorating the otherwise bactericidal capacity. Many of the underlying molecular mechanisms still remain unknown but key elements, directly or indirectly responsible for many of the aforementioned mechanisms, rely on the expression of proteins encoded by the Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI), suggested to constitute a type VI secretion system. We here describe the current knowledge regarding the components of the FPI and the roles that have been ascribed to them.

Nooks and crannies in type VI secretion regulation

Type VI secretion systems (T6SS) are macromolecular, transenvelope machines encoded within the genomes of most Gram-negative bacteria, including plant, animal, and human pathogens, as well as soil and environmental isolates. T6SS are involved in a broad variety of functions: from pathogenesis to biofilm formation and stress sensing. This large array of functions is reflected by a vast diversity of regulatory mechanisms: repression by histone-like proteins and regulation by quorum sensing, transcriptional factors, two-component systems, alternative sigma factors, or small regulatory RNAs. Finally, T6SS may be produced in an inactive state and are turned on through the action of a posttranslational cascade involving phosphorylation and subunit recruitment. The current data reviewed here highlight how T6SS have been integrated into existing regulatory networks and how the expression of the T6SS loci is precisely modulated to adapt T6SS production to the specific needs of individual bacteria.

Modulation of iron homeostasis in macrophages by bacterial intracellular pathogens

BACKGROUND

Intracellular bacterial pathogens depend on acquisition of iron for their success as pathogens. The host cell requires iron as an essential component for cellular functions that include innate immune defense mechanisms. The transferrin receptor TfR1 plays an important part for delivering iron to the host cell during infection. Its expression can be modulated by infection, but its essentiality for bacterial intracellular survival has not been directly investigated.

RESULTS

We identified two distinct iron-handling scenarios for two different bacterial pathogens. Francisella tularensis drives an active iron acquisition program via the TfR1 pathway program with induction of ferrireductase (Steap3), iron membrane transporter Dmt1, and iron regulatory proteins IRP1 and IRP2, which is associated with a sustained increase of the labile iron pool inside the macrophage. Expression of TfR1 is critical for Francisella's intracellular proliferation. This contrasts with infection of macrophages by wild-type Salmonella typhimurium, which does not require expression of TfR1 for successful intracellular survival. Macrophages infected with Salmonella lack significant induction of Dmt1, Steap3, and IRP1, and maintain their labile iron pool at normal levels.

CONCLUSION

The distinction between two different phenotypes of iron utilization by intracellular pathogens will allow further characterization and understanding of host-cell iron metabolism and its modulation by intracellular bacteria.

Working toward the future: insights into Francisella tularensis pathogenesis and vaccine development

Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular gram-negative pathogen and the etiological agent of the zoonotic disease tularemia. Recent advances in the field of Francisella genetics have led to a rapid increase in both the generation and subsequent characterization of mutant strains exhibiting altered growth and/or virulence characteristics within various model systems of infection. In this review, we summarize the major properties of several Francisella species, including F. tularensis and F. novicida, and provide an up-to-date synopsis of the genes necessary for pathogenesis by these organisms and the determinants that are currently being targeted for vaccine development.

Environmental adaptation of Francisella tularensis

Concerns over weaponizable bacteria have recently prompted considerable interest in Francisella tularensis (Ft). In addition to its potential illicit use, Ft occurs naturally in diverse ecological niches including mammals, arthropods, and fresh water protozoans. Here we review the current knowledge of Ft adaptation which has ramifications for both basic and applied research.

Identification of migR, a regulatory element of the Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain iglABCD virulence operon required for normal replication and trafficking in macrophages

Francisella tularensis, the etiological agent of tularemia, is capable of infecting a wide range of animals and causes a severe, lethal disease in humans. The pathogen evades killing by cells of the innate immune system utilizing genes encoding a pathogenicity island, including iglABCD, and instead utilizes these cells as a niche for replication and dissemination to other organs within the host. Regulators of the igl genes (e.g., MglA, SspA, FevR and PmrA) have been identified, but environmental stimuli and mechanisms of regulation are as yet unknown and are likely to involve additional gene products. In this work, we more closely examine the roles that environmental iron and the ferric uptake repressor protein (Fur) play in the regulation of the iglABCD operon. We also used a genetic approach to identify and characterize a new regulator of the igl operon, designated migR (macrophage intracellular growth regulator; FTL_1542). Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR in a site-directed migR mutant confirmed the reduction in the number of iglC transcripts in this strain and also demonstrated reduced expression of fevR. Comparison of the migR and fevR mutants in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and epithelial cell lines revealed a reduced ability for each mutant to grow in MDMs, yet only the fevR mutant exhibited impaired replication in epithelial cell lines. Confocal analysis of infected MDMs revealed that although neither mutant reached the MDM cytosol, the fevR mutant was trapped in lamp-1-positive phagosomes, whereas the migR mutant resided in mature phagolysosomes enriched with both lamp-1 and cathepsin D. Disruption of migR and fevR also impaired the ability of F. tularensis to prevent neutrophil oxidant production. Thus, we have identified migR, a gene that regulates expression of the iglABCD operon and is essential for bacterial growth in MDMs and also contributes to the blockade of neutrophil NADPH oxidase activity.

Characterization of the pathogenicity island protein PdpA and its role in the virulence of Francisella novicida

Francisella tularensis is a highly virulent, intracellular pathogen that causes the disease tularaemia. A research surrogate for F. tularensis is Francisella novicida, which causes a tularaemia-like disease in mice, grows similarly in macrophages, and yet is unable to cause disease in humans. Both Francisella species contain a cluster of genes referred to as the Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI). Pathogenicity determinant protein A (PdpA), encoded by the pdpA gene, is located within the FPI and has been associated with the virulence of Francisella species. In this work we examined the properties of PdpA protein expression and localization as well as the phenotype of a F. novicida pdpA deletion mutant. Monoclonal antibody detection of PdpA showed that it is a soluble protein that is upregulated in iron-limiting conditions and undetectable in an mglA or mglB mutant background. Deletion of pdpA resulted in a strain that was highly attenuated for virulence in chicken embryos and mice.

Identification of iron-responsive proteins expressed by Chlamydia trachomatis reticulate bodies during intracellular growth

The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis serovar E is the most prevalent cause of bacterial sexually transmitted disease. With an established requirement for iron, the developmental cycle arrests at the intracellular reticulate body stage during iron restriction, resulting in a phenomenon termed persistence. Persistence has implications in natural infections for altered expression of virulence factors and antigens, in addition to a potential role in producing chronic infection. In this study, chlamydial proteins in iron-restricted, infected HEC-1B cells were radiolabelled during mid-developmental cycle growth, harvested, and separated using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE). Of ∼250 radiolabelled protein species visualized, densitometric analysis revealed 25 proteins that increased in expression under iron restriction compared to iron-sufficient control samples; ten protein species identified by mass spectrometry are involved in the oxidative damage response (alkyl hydroperoxide reductase, 6-phosphogluconolactonase and acyl carrier protein synthase), transcription (RNA polymerase subunit alpha and transcription anti-termination factors NusA and NusG), protein modification (peptide deformylase and trigger factor), and virulence (Chlamydia protein associating with death domains, CADD). Transcript-level expression patterns of ahpC, devB, cadd, fabF and ct538 were measured by quantitative RT-PCR throughout the developmental cycle, and each gene examined demonstrated a significant but small mid-cycle increase in transcript level in iron-restricted cultures compared to iron-replete controls. Taken together, these data suggest that the primary response of chlamydiae to reduced iron availability is to increase expression of proteins involved in protection against oxidative damage via iron-catalysed generation of reactive oxygen species and adaptation to stress by increasing expression of transcriptional machinery and other stress-responsive proteins.

Global transcriptional response to mammalian temperature provides new insight into Francisella tularensis pathogenesis

Background

After infecting a mammalian host, the facultative intracellular bacterium, Francisella tularensis, encounters an elevated environmental temperature. We hypothesized that this temperature change may regulate genes essential for infection.

Results

Microarray analysis of F. tularensis LVS shifted from 26°C (environmental) to 37°C (mammalian) showed ~11% of this bacterium's genes were differentially-regulated. Importantly, 40% of the protein-coding genes that were induced at 37°C have been previously implicated in virulence or intracellular growth of Francisella in other studies, associating the bacterial response to this temperature shift with pathogenesis. Forty-four percent of the genes induced at 37°C encode proteins of unknown function, suggesting novel Francisella virulence traits are regulated by mammalian temperature. To explore this possibility, we generated two mutants of loci induced at 37°C [FTL_1581 and FTL_1664 (deoB)]. The FTL_1581 mutant was attenuated in a chicken embryo infection model, which was likely attributable to a defect in survival within macrophages. FTL_1581 encodes a novel hypothetical protein that we suggest naming temperature-induced, virulence-associated locus A, tivA. Interestingly, the deoB mutant showed diminished entry into mammalian cells compared to wild-type LVS, including primary human macrophages and dendritic cells, the macrophage-like RAW 264.7 line, and non-phagocytic HEK-293 cells. This is the first study identifying a Francisella gene that contributes to uptake into both phagocytic and non-phagocytic host cells.

Conclusion

Our results provide new insight into mechanisms of Francisella virulence regulation and pathogenesis. F. tularensis LVS undergoes considerable gene expression changes in response to mammalian body temperature. This temperature shift is important for the regulation of genes that are critical for the pathogenesis of Francisella. Importantly, the compilation of temperature-regulated genes also defines a rich collection of novel candidate virulence determinants, including tivA (FTL_1581). An analysis of tivA and deoB (FTL_1664) revealed that these genes contribute to intracellular survival and entry into mammalian cells, respectively.

Adaptation of Francisella tularensis to the mammalian environment is governed by cues which can be mimicked in vitro

The intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis survives in mammals, arthropods, and freshwater amoeba. It was previously established that the conventional media used for in vitro propagation of this microbe do not yield bacteria that mimic those harvested from infected mammals; whether these in vitro-cultivated bacteria resemble arthropod- or amoeba-adapted Francisella is unknown. As a foundation for our goal of identifying F. tularensis outer membrane proteins which are expressed during mammalian infection, we first sought to identify in vitro cultivation conditions that induce the bacterium's infection-derived phenotype. We compared Francisella LVS grown in brain heart infusion broth (BHI; a standard microbiological medium rarely used in Francisella research) to that grown in Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB; the most widely used F. tularensis medium, used here as a negative control) and macrophages (a natural host cell, used here as a positive control). BHI- and macrophage-grown F. tularensis cells showed similar expression of MglA-dependent and MglA-independent proteins; expression of the MglA-dependent proteins was repressed by the supraphysiological levels of free amino acids present in MHB. We observed that during macrophage infection, protein expression by intracellular bacteria differed from that by extracellular bacteria; BHI-grown bacteria mirrored the latter, while MHB-grown bacteria resembled neither. Naïve macrophages responding to BHI- and macrophage-grown bacteria produced markedly lower levels of proinflammatory mediators than those in cells exposed to MHB-grown bacteria. In contrast to MHB-grown bacteria, BHI-grown bacteria showed minimal delay during intracellular replication. Cumulatively, our findings provide compelling evidence that growth in BHI yields bacteria which recapitulate the phenotype of Francisella organisms that have emerged from macrophages.

Characterization of fig operon mutants of Francisella novicida U112

Francisella species secrete a polycarboxylate siderophore that resembles rhizoferrin to acquire ferric iron. Several of the Francisella siderophore synthesis genes are contained in a Fur-regulated operon (designated fig or fsl) comprised of at least seven ORFs including fur. Reverse transcriptase-PCR showed transcriptional linkage between figD and figE and between figE and figF. Mutations were constructed in four of these ORFs (figB, figC, figD, and figE) in Francisella novicida U112. All four of these new mutants and a F. novicida figA mutant grew at rates comparable to that of wild type under iron-replete conditions but growth of all five mutants was stunted in iron-limiting media. When ferric rhizoferrin was added to the iron-limited media, growth of the figA, figB, figC, and figD mutants was restored to levels similar to those obtained in iron-replete media. However, this exogenously added siderophore could not rescue the figE mutant. When Chrome Azurol S assays were used to measure siderophore production, the figA, figB, and figC mutants were markedly deficient in their ability to synthesize siderophore whereas the figD and figE mutants produced siderophore at levels equivalent to the wild-type parent strain.

Identification of fevR, a novel regulator of virulence gene expression in Francisella novicida

Francisella tularensis infects wild animals and humans to cause tularemia. This pathogen targets the cytosol of macrophages, where it replicates using the genes in the Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI). Virulence gene regulation in Francisella is complex, but transcriptional regulators MglA and SspA have been shown to regulate the expression of approximately 100 genes, including the entire FPI. We utilized a Francisella novicida transposon mutant library to identify additional regulatory factors and identified five additional genes that are essential for virulence gene expression. One regulatory gene, FTN_0480 (fevR, Francisella effector of virulence regulation), present in all Francisella species, is required for expression of the FPI genes and other genes in the MglA/SspA regulon. The expression of fevR is positively regulated by MglA. However, constitutive expression of fevR in an mglA mutant strain did not restore expression of the MglA/SspA regulon, demonstrating that mglA and fevR act in parallel to positively regulate virulence gene expression. Virulence studies revealed that fevR is essential for bacterial replication in macrophages and in mice, where we additionally show that fevR is required for the expression of genes in the MglA/SspA regulon in vivo. Thus, fevR is a crucial virulence gene in Francisella, required for the expression of virulence factors known to be essential for this pathogen's subversion of host defenses and pathogenesis in vivo.

Application of proteomics technology for analyzing the interactions between host cells and intracellular infectious agents

Host–pathogen interactions involve protein expression changes within both the host and the pathogen. An understanding of the nature of these interactions provides insight into metabolic processes and critical regulatory events of the host cell as well as into the mechanisms of pathogenesis by infectious microorganisms. Pathogen exposure induces changes in host proteins at many functional levels including cell signaling pathways, protein degradation, cytokines and growth factor production, phagocytosis, apoptosis, and cytoskeletal rearrangement. Since proteins are responsible for the cell biological functions, pathogens have evolved to manipulate the host cell proteome to achieve optimal replication. Intracellular pathogens can also change their proteome to adapt to the host cell and escape from immune surveillance, or can incorporate cellular proteins to invade other cells. Given that the interactions of intracellular infectious agents with host cells are mainly at the protein level, proteomics is the most suitable tool for investigating these interactions. Proteomics is the systematic analysis of proteins, particularly their interactions, modifications, localization and functions, that permits the study of the association between pathogens with their host cells as well as complex interactions such as the host–vector–pathogen interplay. A review on the most relevant proteomic applications used in the study of host–pathogen interactions is presented.

Identification of differentially regulated francisella tularensis genes by use of a newly developed Tn5-based transposon delivery system

Francisella tularensis is the etiologic agent of an intracellular systemic infection of the lymphatic system in humans called tularemia. The organism has become the subject of considerable research interest due to its classification as a category A select agent by the CDC. To aid genetic analysis of this pathogen, we have constructed a temperature-sensitive Tn5-based transposon delivery system that is capable of generating chromosomal reporter fusions with lacZ or luxCDABE, enabling us to monitor gene expression. Transposition is catalyzed by the hyperactive Tn5 transposase, whose expression is driven by the Francisella groES promoter. When high-temperature selection (42 degrees C) is applied to a bacterial culture carrying the transposon delivery plasmid, approximately 0.1% of the population is recovered with Tn5 insertions in the chromosome. Nucleotide sequence analysis of a sample of mutants revealed that the insertions occur randomly throughout the chromosome. The kanamycin-selectable marker of the transposon is also flanked by FLP recombination target sequences that allow deletion of the antibiotic resistance gene when desired. This system has been used to generate transposon mutant libraries for the F. tularensis live vaccine strain as well as two different virulent F. tularensis strains. Chromosomal reporters delivered with the transposon were used to identify genes upregulated by growth in Chamberlain's defined medium. Genes in the fsl operon, reported to be involved in iron acquisition, as well as genes in the igl gene cluster were among those identified by the screen. Further experiments implicate the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) protein in the negative regulation of fsl but not igl reporters, which occurs in an iron-dependent manner. Our results indicate that we have created a valuable new transposon that can be used to identify and characterize virulence genes in F. tularensis strains.

Double trouble: medical implications of genetic duplication and amplification in bacteria

Gene amplification allows organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions. This type of increased gene dosage confers selectable benefits, typically by augmenting protein production. Gene amplification is a reversible process that does not require permanent genetic change. Although transient, altered gene dosage has significant medical impact. Recent examples of amplification in bacteria, described here, affect human disease by modifying antibiotic resistance, the virulence of pathogens, vaccine efficacy and antibiotic biosynthesis. Amplification is usually a two-step process whereby genetic duplication (step one) promotes further increases in copy number (step two). Both steps have important evolutionary significance for the emergence of innovative gene functions. Recent genome sequence analyses illustrate how genome plasticity can affect the evolution and immunogenic properties of bacterial pathogens.