A monoclonal antibody directed against the 97-kilodalton gonococcal hemin-binding protein inhibits hemin utilization by Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The Neisseria meningitidis ZnuD zinc receptor contributes to interactions with epithelial cells and supports heme utilization when expressed in Escherichia coli

Neisseria meningitidis employs redundant heme acquisition mechanisms, including TonB receptor-dependent and receptor-independent uptakes. The TonB-dependent zinc receptor ZnuD shares significant sequence similarity to HumA, a heme receptor of Moraxella catarrhalis, and contains conserved motifs found in many heme utilization proteins. We present data showing that, when expressed in Escherichia coli, ZnuD allowed heme capture on the cell surface and supported the heme-dependent growth of an E. coli hemA strain. Heme agarose captured ZnuD in enriched outer membrane fractions, and this binding was inhibited by excess free heme, supporting ZnuD's specific interaction with heme. However, no heme utilization defect was detected in the meningococcal znuD mutant, likely due to unknown redundant TonB-independent heme uptake mechanisms. Meningococcal replication within epithelial cells requires a functional TonB, and we found that both the znuD and tonB mutants were defective not only in survival within epithelial cells but also in adherence to and invasion of epithelial cells. Ectopic complementation rescued these phenotypes. Interestingly, while znuD expression was repressed by Zur with zinc as a cofactor, it also was induced by iron in a Zur-independent manner. A specific interaction of meningococcal Fur protein with the znuD promoter was demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Thus, the meningococcal ZnuD receptor likely participates in both zinc and heme acquisition, is regulated by both Zur and Fur, and is important for meningococcal interaction with epithelial cells.

Identification of a conserved Moraxella catarrhalis haemoglobin-utilization protein, MhuA

Moraxella catarrhalis is a leading cause of acute otitis media in children and is a cause of respiratory disease in adults with underlying lung disease. This organism is a strict human pathogen that has an absolute requirement for iron in order to grow and cause disease. Previous studies identified transferrin and lactoferrin receptors used by M. catarrhalis to obtain iron from the human host, yet other iron-acquisition systems remain undefined. In this study, it is demonstrated that this strict mucosal pathogen can utilize haemoglobin (Hb) as a sole source of iron for growth. A novel 107 kDa outer-membrane protein involved in Hb utilization by this pathogen was also identified. An isogenic mutant defective in this Moraxella Hb-utilization protein (MhuA), 7169 : : mhuA, showed a significant lag during growth in the presence of Hb as the sole iron source. This protein appears to be expressed constitutively, regardless of growth conditions, and a mAb directed to MhuA demonstrated that this protein contains highly conserved, surface-exposed epitopes. Data demonstrating that expression of MhuA may be highly specific to isolates of M. catarrhalis are also presented, suggesting a potential role as a diagnostic marker. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating that M. catarrhalis expresses an Hb-binding protein and that this bacterium can utilize Hb as a sole iron source for growth.

A mutant form of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae pilus secretin protein PilQ allows increased entry of heme and antimicrobial compounds

A spontaneous point mutation in pilQ (pilQ1) resulted in phenotypic suppression of a hemoglobin (Hb) receptor mutant (hpuAB mutant), allowing gonococci to grow on Hb as the sole source of iron. PilQ, formerly designated OMP-MC, is a member of the secretin family of proteins located in the outer membrane and is required for pilus biogenesis. The pilQ1 mutant also showed decreased piliation and transformation efficiency. Insertional inactivation of pilQ1 resulted in the loss of the Hb utilization phenotype and decreased entry of free heme. Despite the ability of the pilQ1 mutant to use Hb for iron acquisition and porphyrin, there was no demonstrable binding of Hb to the cell surface. The pilQ1 mutant was more sensitive to the toxic effect of free heme in growth medium and hypersensitive to the detergent Triton X-100 and multiple antibiotics. Double mutation in pilQ1 and tonB had no effect on these phenotypes, but a double pilQ1 pilT mutant showed a reduction in Hb-dependent growth and decreased sensitivity to heme and various antimicrobial agents. Insertional inactivation of wild-type pilQ also resulted in reduced entry of heme, Triton X-100, and some antibiotics. These results show that PilQ forms a channel that allows entry of heme and certain antimicrobial compounds and that a gain-of function point mutation in pilQ results in TonB-independent, PilT-dependent increase of entry.

Point mutations in HpuB enable gonococcal HpuA deletion mutants to grow on hemoglobin

Neisseria gonorrhoeae ordinarily requires both HpuA and HpuB to use hemoglobin (Hb) as a source of iron for growth. Deletion of HpuA resulted in reduced Hb binding and failure of growth on Hb. We identified rare Hb-utilizing colonies (Hb(+)) from an hpuA deletion mutant of FA1090, which fell into two phenotypic classes. One class of the Hb(+) revertants required expression of both TonB and HpuB for growth on Hb, while the other class required neither TonB nor HpuB. All TonB/HpuB-dependent mutants had single amino acid alterations in HpuB, which occurred in clusters, particularly near the C terminus. The point mutations in HpuB did not restore normal Hb binding. Human serum albumin inhibited Hb-dependent growth of HpuB point mutants lacking HpuA but did not inhibit growth when expression of HpuA was restored. Thus, HpuB point mutants internalized heme in the absence of HpuA despite reduced binding of Hb. HpuA facilitated Hb binding and was important in allowing use of heme from Hb for growth.

Neisserial TonB-dependent outer-membrane proteins: detection, regulation and distribution of three putative candidates identified from the genome sequences

Computer searches were carried out of the gonococcal and meningococcal genome databases for previously unknown members of the TonB-dependent family (Tdf) of outer-membrane receptor proteins. Seven putative non-contiguous genes were found and three of these (identified in gonococcal strain FA1090) were chosen for further study. Consensus motif analysis of the peptide sequences was consistent with the three genes encoding TonB-dependent receptors. In view of the five previously characterized TonB-dependent proteins of pathogenic neisseriae, the putative genes were labelled tdfF, tdfG and tdfH. TdfF had homology with the siderophore receptors FpvA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and FhuE of Escherichia coli, whereas TdfG and TdfH had homology with the haemophore receptor HasR of Serratia marcescens. The aim of this project was to characterize these proteins and determine their expression, regulation, distribution and surface exposure. Strain surveys of iron-stressed commensal and pathogenic neisseriae revealed that TdfF is unlikely to be expressed, TdfG is expressed by gonococci only and that TdfH is expressed by both meningococci and gonococci. Expression of TdfH was unaffected by iron availability. Susceptibility of TdfH to cleavage by proteases in live gonococci was consistent with surface exposure of this protein. TdfH may function as a TonB-dependent receptor for a non-iron nutrient source. Furthermore, TdfH is worthy of future investigation as a potential meningococcal vaccine candidate as it is a highly conserved, widely distributed and surface-exposed outer-membrane protein.

Emerging strategies in microbial haem capture

Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria have evolved novel strategies to obtain iron from host haem-sequestering proteins. These include the production of specific outer membrane receptors that bind directly to host haem-sequestering proteins, secreted haem-binding proteins (haemophores) that bind haem/haemoglobin/haemopexin and deliver the complex to a bacterial cell surface receptor and bacterial proteases that degrade haem-sequestering proteins. Once removed from haem-sequestering proteins, haem may be transported via the bacterial outer membrane receptor into the cell. Recent studies have begun to define the steps by which haem is removed from bacterial haem proteins and transported into the cell. This review describes recent work on the discovery and characterization of these systems. Reference is also made to the transport of haem in serum (via haemoglobin, haemoglobin/haptoglobin, haemopexin, albumin and lipoproteins) and to mechanisms of iron removal from the haem itself (probably via a haem oxygenase pathway in which the protoporphyrin ring is degraded). Haem protein-receptor interactions are discussed in terms of the criteria that govern protein-protein interactions in general, and connections between haem transport and the emerging field of metal transport via metallochaperones are outlined.

Molecular characterization of the hemin uptake locus (hmu) from Yersinia pestis and analysis of hmu mutants for hemin and hemoprotein utilization

Sequence analysis of the hemin uptake locus (hmu) of Yersinia pestis revealed five genes, hmuRSTUV, required for use of hemin and hemoproteins as iron sources. The translated gene products have homologies with proteins of the hemin transport genes of several gram-negative bacteria. Promoters were identified upstream of hmuP'R (p1) and upstream of hmuS (p2); p1, which contains a Fur box, is regulated by iron and Fur, while p2 exhibits weak, but constitutive, activity. HmuR, which has homology with TonB-dependent outer membrane (OM) receptors, is localized to the OM of Y. pestis and is required for utilizing hemin and all hemoproteins under iron-depleted conditions. The proposed ABC transporter, HmuTUV, is necessary for use of hemin, hemin-albumin, and myoglobin, but not hemoglobin, hemoglobin-haptoglobin, or heme-hemopexin, as iron sources. In the absence of HmuTUV, HmuS, a cytoplasmic protein, is involved in use of hemoglobin and heme-hemopexin. In mice, the 50% lethal doses of Y. pestis DeltahmuP'RSTUV mutants injected subcutaneously or retro-orbitally did not differ from that of the Hmu(+) parent strain. Thus, the hmu system is not essential for infection in mice via these routes. Growth studies showed that a DeltahmuP'RSTUV mutant could grow in iron-depleted medium containing high concentrations of hemoglobin, suggesting that an Hmu-independent, lower-affinity hemoglobin uptake system may exist.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae heme biosynthetic mutants utilize heme and hemoglobin as a heme source but fail to grow within epithelial cells

Many bacterial pathogens, including pathogenic neisseriae, can use heme as an iron source for growth. To study heme utilization by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, two heme biosynthetic mutants were constructed, one with a mutation in hemH (the gene encoding ferrochelatase) and one with a mutation in hemA (the gene encoding gamma-glutamyl tRNA reductase). The hemH mutant failed to grow without an exogenous supply of heme or hemoglobin, whereas the hemA mutant failed to grow unless heme, hemoglobin, or heme precursors were present. Growth of the mutants with hemoglobin required expression of the hemoglobin receptor (HpuAB) and was TonB dependent. However, growth with heme required neither HpuAB nor TonB. An fbpA mutant grew normally when either heme or hemoglobin was present in the medium. The heme biosynthetic mutants showed reduced intracellular survival, compared to the parent strain, within A-431 endocervical epithelial cell cultures. These studies demonstrate that in addition to synthesizing their own heme, N. gonorrhoeae strains are able to internalize and utilize exogenous heme independently of FbpA but appear unable to obtain heme from within epithelial cells for growth.

Phase variation of hemoglobin utilization in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Most Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates are unable to use human hemoglobin as the sole source of iron for growth (Hgb-), but a minor population is able to do so (Hgb+). This minor population grows luxuriously on hemoglobin, expresses two outer membrane proteins of 42 kDa (HpuA) and 89 kDa (HpuB), and binds hemoglobin under iron-stressed conditions. In addition to the previously reported HpuB, we identified and characterized HpuA, which is encoded by the gene hpuA, located immediately upstream of hpuB. Expression of both proteins was found to be controlled at the translational level by frameshift mutations in a run of guanine residues within the hpuA sequence encoding the mature HpuA protein. The "on-phase" hemoglobin-utilizing variants contained 10 G's, while the "off-phase" variants contained 9 G's. Insertional hpuB mutants of FA19 Hgb+ and FA1090 Hgb+ no longer expressed HpuB but still produced HpuA. A polar insertional mutation of the upstream hpuA gene in FA1090 Hgb+ eliminated production of both HpuA and HpuB, whereas a nonpolar insertional mutant expressed HpuB only. Insertional mutagenesis of either hpuA or hpuB or both substantially decreased the hemoglobin binding ability of the FA1090 Hgb+ variant and prevented growth on hemoglobin plates. Therefore, both HpuA and HpuB were required for the utilization of hemoglobin for growth.