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Zhang T, Ray S, Melican K, Richter-Dahlfors A. The maturation of native uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilms seen through a non-interventional lens. Biofilm 2024; 8:100212. [PMID: 39114648 PMCID: PMC11305213 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2024.100212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTI) caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are a significant global health challenge. The UPEC biofilm lifestyle is believed to play an important role in infection recurrency and treatment resistance, but our understanding of how the extracellular matrix (ECM) components curli and cellulose contribute to biofilm formation and pathogenicity is limited. Here, we study the spatial and temporal development of native UPEC biofilm using agar-based detection methods where the non-toxic, optically active fluorescent tracer EbbaBiolight 680 reports the expression and structural location of curli in real-time. An in vitro screen of the biofilm capacity of common UPEC strains reveals significant strain variability and identifies UPEC No. 12 (UPEC12) as a strong biofilm former at 28 °C and 37 °C. Non-interventional microscopy, including time-lapse and 2-photon, reveal significant horizontal and vertical heterogeneity in the UPEC12 biofilm structure. We identify region-specific expression of curli, with a shift in localization from the bottom of the flat central regions of the biofilm to the upper surface in the topographically dramatic intermediate region. When investigating if the rdar morphotype affects wettability of the biofilm surface, we found that the nano-architecture of curli guided by cellulose, rather than the rdar macrostructures, leads to increased hydrophobicity of the biofilm. By providing new insights at exceptional temporal and spatial resolution, we demonstrate how non-interventional analysis of native biofilms will facilitate the next generation of understanding into the roles of ECM components during growth of UPEC biofilms and their contribution to the pathogenesis of UTI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqi Zhang
- AIMES-Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences, Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sanhita Ray
- AIMES-Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences, Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Keira Melican
- AIMES-Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences, Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Agneta Richter-Dahlfors
- AIMES-Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences, Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
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Cimdins-Ahne A, Naemi AO, Li F, Simm R, Römling U. Characterisation of Variants of Cyclic di-GMP Turnover Proteins Associated with Semi-Constitutive rdar Morphotype Expression in Commensal and Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2048. [PMID: 37630608 PMCID: PMC10459773 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11082048] [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: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Expression of rdar (red, dry, and rough) colony morphology-based biofilm formation in Escherichia coli is highly variable. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of semi-constitutive rdar morphotype formation, we compared their cyclic di-GMP turnover protein content and variability to the highly regulated, temperature-dependent morphotype of the historical and modern ST10 isolates E. coli MG1655 and Fec10, respectively. Subsequently, we assessed the effects of cyclic di-GMP turnover protein variants of the EAL phosphodiesterases YcgG and YjcC and the horizontally transferred diguanylate cyclase DgcX on biofilm formation and motility. The two YcgG variants with truncations of the N-terminal CSS signaling domain were oppositely effective in targeting downregulation of rdar biofilm formation compared to the full-length reference protein. Expression of the C-terminal truncated variants YjcCFec67 and YjcCTob1 showed highly diminished apparent phosphodiesterase activity compared to the reference YjcCMG1655. For YjcCFec101, substitution of the C-terminus led to an apparently inactive enzyme. Overexpression of the diguanylate cyclase DgcX contributed to upregulation of cellulose biosynthesis but not to elevated expression of the major biofilm regulator csgD in the "classical" rdar-expressing commensal strain E. coli Fec10. Thus, the c-di-GMP regulating network is highly complex with protein variants displaying substantially different apparent enzymatic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Cimdins-Ahne
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; (A.C.-A.); (F.L.)
| | - Ali-Oddin Naemi
- Institute of Oral Biology, University of Oslo, 0313 Oslo, Norway; (A.-O.N.); (R.S.)
| | - Fengyang Li
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; (A.C.-A.); (F.L.)
| | - Roger Simm
- Institute of Oral Biology, University of Oslo, 0313 Oslo, Norway; (A.-O.N.); (R.S.)
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, 0106 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ute Römling
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; (A.C.-A.); (F.L.)
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Kamal SM, Cimdins-Ahne A, Lee C, Li F, Martín-Rodríguez AJ, Seferbekova Z, Afasizhev R, Wami HT, Katikaridis P, Meins L, Lünsdorf H, Dobrindt U, Mogk A, Römling U. A recently isolated human commensal Escherichia coli ST10 clone member mediates enhanced thermotolerance and tetrathionate respiration on a P1 phage-derived IncY plasmid. Mol Microbiol 2020; 115:255-271. [PMID: 32985020 PMCID: PMC7984374 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitous human commensal Escherichia coli has been well investigated through its model representative E. coli K‐12. In this work, we initially characterized E. coli Fec10, a recently isolated human commensal strain of phylogroup A/sequence type ST10. Compared to E. coli K‐12, the 4.88 Mbp Fec10 genome is characterized by distinct single‐nucleotide polymorphisms and acquisition of genomic islands. In addition, E. coli Fec10 possesses a 155.86 kbp IncY plasmid, a composite element based on phage P1. pFec10 harbours multiple cargo genes such as coding for a tetrathionate reductase and its corresponding regulatory two‐component system. Among the cargo genes is also the Transmissible Locus of Protein Quality Control (TLPQC), which mediates tolerance to lethal temperatures in bacteria. The disaggregase ClpGGI of TLPQC constitutes a major determinant of the thermotolerance of E. coli Fec10. We confirmed stand‐alone disaggregation activity, but observed distinct biochemical characteristics of ClpGGI‐Fec10 compared to the nearly identical Pseudomonas aeruginosa ClpGGI‐SG17M. Furthermore, we noted a unique contribution of ClpGGI‐Fec10 to the exquisite thermotolerance of E. coli Fec10, suggesting functional differences between both disaggregases in vivo. Detection of thermotolerance in 10% of human commensal E. coli isolates hints to the successful establishment of food‐borne heat‐resistant strains in the human gut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shady Mansour Kamal
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Pharmaceutical Industries, Future University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Changhan Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fengyang Li
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Zaira Seferbekova
- Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, RAS, Moscow, Russia.,Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Robert Afasizhev
- Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Panagiotis Katikaridis
- Center for Molecular Biology, University of Heidelberg (ZMBH), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lena Meins
- Center for Molecular Biology, University of Heidelberg (ZMBH), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Ulrich Dobrindt
- Institute of Hygiene, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Axel Mogk
- Center for Molecular Biology, University of Heidelberg (ZMBH), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ute Römling
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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DncV Synthesizes Cyclic GMP-AMP and Regulates Biofilm Formation and Motility in Escherichia coli ECOR31. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.02492-18. [PMID: 30837338 PMCID: PMC6401482 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02492-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of bacteria to sense and respond to environmental signals is critical for survival. Bacteria use cyclic dinucleotides as second messengers to regulate a number of physiological processes, such as the fundamental life style transition between motility and sessility (biofilm formation). cGAMP, which is synthesized by a dinucleotide cyclase called DncV, is a newly discovered second messenger involved in virulence and chemotaxis in the Vibrio cholerae biovar El Tor causing the current 7th cholera pandemic. However, to what extent cGAMP exists and participates in physiological processes in other bacteria is still unknown. In this study, we found an elevated cGAMP level to possibly regulate biofilm formation and motility in the animal commensal E. coli strain ECOR31. Thus, we detected a novel role for cGAMP signaling in regulation of physiological processes other than those previously reported in proteobacterial species. Cyclic dinucleotides (cDNs) act as intracellular second messengers, modulating bacterial physiology to regulate the fundamental life style transition between motility and sessility commonly known as biofilm formation. Cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP), synthesized by the dinucleotide cyclase DncV, is a newly discovered cDN second messenger involved in virulence and chemotaxis in Vibrio cholerae O1 biovar El Tor. Here we report a novel role for horizontally transferred DncV in cGAMP production and regulation of biofilm formation and motility in the animal commensal strain Escherichia coli ECOR31. ECOR31 expresses a semiconstitutive temperature-independent rdar (red, dry, and rough) morphotype on Congo red agar plates characterized by the extracellular matrix components cellulose and curli fimbriae which requires activation by the major biofilm regulator CsgD and cyclic di-GMP signaling. In contrast, C-terminal His-tagged DncV negatively regulates the rdar biofilm morphotype and cell aggregation via downregulation of csgD mRNA steady-state level. Furthermore, DncV sequentially promotes and inhibits adhesion to the abiotic surface after 24 h and 48 h of growth, respectively. DncV also suppresses swimming and swarming motility posttranscriptional of the class 1 flagellum regulon gene flhD. Purified DncV produced different cDNs, cyclic di-GMP, cyclic di-AMP, an unknown product(s), and the dominant species 3′3′-cGAMP. In vivo, only the 3′3′-cGAMP concentration was elevated upon short-term overexpression of dncV, making this work a first report on cGAMP production in E. coli. Regulation of rdar biofilm formation and motility upon overexpression of untagged DncV in combination with three adjacent cotransferred gene products suggests a novel temperature-dependent cGAMP signaling module in E. coli ECOR31.
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Cimdins A, Simm R, Li F, Lüthje P, Thorell K, Sjöling Å, Brauner A, Römling U. Alterations of c-di-GMP turnover proteins modulate semi-constitutive rdar biofilm formation in commensal and uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Microbiologyopen 2017; 6. [PMID: 28913868 PMCID: PMC5635171 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Agar plate‐based biofilm of enterobacteria like Escherichia coli is characterized by expression of the extracellular matrix components amyloid curli and cellulose exopolysaccharide, which can be visually enhanced upon addition of the dye Congo Red, resulting in a red, dry, and rough (rdar) colony morphology. Expression of the rdar morphotype depends on the transcriptional regulator CsgD and occurs predominantly at ambient temperature in model strains. In contrast, commensal and pathogenic isolates frequently express the csgD‐dependent rdar morphotype semi‐constitutively, also at human host body temperature. To unravel the molecular basis of temperature‐independent rdar morphotype expression, biofilm components and c‐di‐GMP turnover proteins of seven commensal and uropathogenic E. coli isolates were analyzed. A diversity within the c‐di‐GMP signaling network was uncovered which suggests alteration of activity of the trigger phosphodiesterase YciR to contribute to (up)regulation of csgD expression and consequently semi‐constitutive rdar morphotype development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Cimdins
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Roger Simm
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Fengyang Li
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Petra Lüthje
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kaisa Thorell
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Åsa Sjöling
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Annelie Brauner
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ute Römling
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Rossi E, Cimdins A, Lüthje P, Brauner A, Sjöling Å, Landini P, Römling U. "It's a gut feeling" - Escherichia coli biofilm formation in the gastrointestinal tract environment. Crit Rev Microbiol 2017; 44:1-30. [PMID: 28485690 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2017.1303660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli can commonly be found, either as a commensal, probiotic or a pathogen, in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Biofilm formation and its regulation is surprisingly variable, although distinct regulatory pattern of red, dry and rough (rdar) biofilm formation arise in certain pathovars and even clones. In the GI tract, environmental conditions, signals from the host and from commensal bacteria contribute to shape E. coli biofilm formation within the multi-faceted multicellular communities in a complex and integrated fashion. Although some major regulatory networks, adhesion factors and extracellular matrix components constituting E. coli biofilms have been recognized, these processes have mainly been characterized in vitro and in the context of interaction of E. coli strains with intestinal epithelial cells. However, direct observation of E. coli cells in situ, and the vast number of genes encoding surface appendages on the core or accessory genome of E. coli suggests the complexity of the biofilm process to be far from being fully understood. In this review, we summarize biofilm formation mechanisms of commensal, probiotic and pathogenic E. coli in the context of the gastrointestinal tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elio Rossi
- a Department of Biosciences , Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy.,b Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainabiliy , Technical University of Denmark , Kgs. Lyngby , Denmark
| | - Annika Cimdins
- c Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden.,d Institute of Hygiene, University of Münster , Münster , Germany
| | - Petra Lüthje
- c Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden.,e Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine , Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Annelie Brauner
- c Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Åsa Sjöling
- c Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Paolo Landini
- a Department of Biosciences , Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy
| | - Ute Römling
- c Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden
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