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Williamson ED, Kilgore PB, Hendrix EK, Neil BH, Sha J, Chopra AK. Progress on the research and development of plague vaccines with a call to action. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:162. [PMID: 39242587 PMCID: PMC11379892 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00958-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024] Open
Abstract
There is a compelling demand for approved plague vaccines due to the endemicity of Yersinia pestis and its potential for pandemic spread. Whilst substantial progress has been made, we recommend that the global funding and health security systems should work urgently to translate some of the efficacious vaccines reviewed herein to expedite clinical development and to prevent future disastrous plague outbreaks, particularly caused by antimicrobial resistant Y. pestis strains.Content includes material subject to Crown Copyright © 2024.This is an open access article under the Open Government License ( http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ ).
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Affiliation(s)
- E Diane Williamson
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JQ, UK.
| | - Paul B Kilgore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Emily K Hendrix
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Blake H Neil
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Jian Sha
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Ashok K Chopra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
- Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
- Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
- Galveston National Laboratory, UTMB, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
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2
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Wu G, Zhou Y, Cao S, Wu Y, Wang T, Zhang Y, Wang X, Song Y, Yang R, Du Z. Unveiling the dance of evolution: Pla-mediated cleavage of Ymt modulates the virulence dynamics of Yersinia pestis. mBio 2024; 15:e0107524. [PMID: 38958447 PMCID: PMC11323527 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01075-24] [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: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis has recently evolved into a highly lethal flea-borne pathogen through the pseudogenization of extensive genes and the acquisition of exogenous plasmids. Particularly noteworthy are the newly acquired pPCP1 and pMT1 plasmids, which encode the virulence determinants Pla and Yersinia murine toxin (Ymt), crucial for subcutaneous infection and survival within flea vector of Y. pestis, respectively. This study reveals that Pla can cleave Ymt at K299 both in vivo and in vitro. Y. pestis expressing YmtK299A displays enhanced in vitro biofilm formation and increased blood survival, indicating significant roles of Pla-mediated Ymt cleavage in these phenotypes. Intriguingly, although both the ancestral form of Pla and the prevalent Pla-I259T variant in modern Y. pestis strains are capable of cleaving Ymt at K299, the cleavage efficiency of Pla-I259T is only half that of the ancestral variant. In subcutaneous infection, mice infected with Δymt::ymt-K299A show significantly prolonged survival compared to those infected with Δymt::ymt. Similarly, infection with Δpla::pla-I259T also results in extended survival compared to Δpla::pla infection. These data demonstrate that the I259T substitution of Pla mitigates the enhanced virulence of Y. pestis in mice caused by Pla-mediated Ymt cleavage, thereby prolonging the survival period of infected animals and potentially conferring advantages on the transmission of Y. pestis to the next host. These findings deepen our understanding of the intricate interplay between two newly acquired plasmids and shed light on the positive selection of the Pla-I259T mutation, providing new insights into the virulence dynamics and transmission mechanisms of Y. pestis. IMPORTANCE The emergence of Y. pestis as a highly lethal pathogen is driven by extensive gene pseudogenization and acquisition of exogenous plasmids pPCP1 and pMT1. However, the interplay between these two plasmids during evolution remains largely unexplored. Our study reveals intricate interactions between Ymt and Pla, two crucial virulence determinants encoded on these plasmids. Pla-mediated cleavage of Ymt significantly decreases Y. pestis survival in mouse blood and enhances its virulence in mice. The prevalent Pla-I259T variant in modern strains displays reduced Ymt cleavage, thereby extending the survival of infected animals and potentially increasing strain transmissibility. Our findings shed light on the nuanced evolution of Y. pestis, wherein reduced cleavage efficiency is a positive selection force, shaping the pathogen's natural trajectory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gengshan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Yazhou Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Shiyang Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Yarong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Yajun Song
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Ruifu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Zongmin Du
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
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Do HE, Ha YB, Kim JS, Suh MK, Kim HS, Eom MK, Lee JH, Park SH, Kang SW, Lee DH, Yoon H, Lee JH, Lee JS. Phocaeicola acetigenes sp. nov., producing acetic acid and iso-butyric acid, isolated faeces from a healthy human. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2024; 117:30. [PMID: 38302626 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-024-01930-8] [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: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
An obligately anaerobic, non-motile, Gram-stain-negative, and rod-shaped strain KGMB11183T was isolated from the feces of healthy Koreans. The growth of strain KGMB11183T occurred at 30-45 °C (optimum 37 °C), at pH 6-9 (optimum pH 7), and in the presence of 0-0.5% NaCl (optimum 0%). Strain KGMB11183T showed 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 95.4% and 94.2% to the closest recognized species, Phocaeicola plebeius M12T, and Phocaeicola faecicola AGMB03916T. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain KGMB11183T is a member of the genus Phocaeiocla. The major end products of fermentation are acetic acid and isobutyric acid. The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) of this isolate were C18:1 cis 9, anteiso-C15:0, and summed feature 11 (iso-C17:0 3-OH and/or C18:2 DMA). The assembled draft genome sequences of strain KGMB11183T consisted of 3,215,271 bp with a DNA G + C content of 41.4%. According to genomic analysis, strain KGMB11183T has a number of genes that produce acetic acid. The genome of strain KGMB11183T encoded the starch utilization system (Sus) operon, SusCDEF suggesting that strain uses many complex polysaccharides that cannot be digested by humans. Based on the physiological, chemotaxonomic, phenotypic, and phylogenetic data, strain KGMB11183T is regarded a novel species of the genus Phocaeicola. The type strain is KGMB11183T (= KCTC 25284T = JCM 35696T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyo Eun Do
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
- Department of Oriental Medicine Resources, Jeonbuk National University, 79 Gobong-ro, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Bong Ha
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Sun Kim
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Kuk Suh
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
- Department of Lifestyle Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, 79 Gobong-ro, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Sol Kim
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
- Department of Lifestyle Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, 79 Gobong-ro, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi Kyung Eom
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
| | - Ju Huck Lee
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Hwan Park
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
| | - Se Won Kang
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Ho Lee
- Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82 Gumi-ro, 173 Beon-Gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyuk Yoon
- Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82 Gumi-ro, 173 Beon-Gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Je Hee Lee
- CJ Bioscience, Inc., 14 Sejong-Daero, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04527, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Sook Lee
- Korean Collection for Type Cultures, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, 56212, Republic of Korea.
- University of Science and Technology (UST), 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea.
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Liu L, Liu W, He Y, Liu Y, Zhang Y. The cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) controls expression of the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) in Yersinia pestis. Can J Microbiol 2022; 68:501-506. [PMID: 35801716 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2021-0314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is one of the most dangerous pathogens in the world. Both the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) and ferric uptake regulator (Fur) are global regulators that control the expression of a great deal of genes involved in a variety of cellular functions in Y. pestis. In this work, two CRP box-like deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences were detected in the upstream DNA region of fur, suggesting that the transcription of fur might be directly regulated by CRP in Y. pestis. Thus, transcriptional regulation of fur by CRP was investigated by primer extension, quantitative real-time PCR, LacZ fusion, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. The results demonstrated that CRP was able to bind the regulatory DNA region of fur to activate its transcription. The data presented here not only suggested that the CRP and Fur regulons were bridged together via the direct regulation of fur by CRP, but also provided us a deeper understanding of the transcriptional regulation of fur in Y. pestis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, General Hospital of Central Theater Command of the PLA, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, China.,The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Wanbing Liu
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, General Hospital of Central Theater Command of the PLA, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, China
| | - Yingyu He
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Yan Liu
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China
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Nlp enhances biofilm formation by Yersinia pestis biovar microtus. Microb Pathog 2022; 169:105659. [PMID: 35760284 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105659] [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: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Biofilms formed by Yersinia pestis are able to attach to and block flea's proventriculus, which stimulates the transmission of this pathogen from fleas to mammals. In this study, we found that Nlp (YP1143) enhanced biofilm formation by Y. pestis and had regulatory effects on biofilm-associated genes at the transcriptional level. Phenotypic assays, including colony morphology assay, crystal violet staining, and Caenorhabditis elegans biofilm assay, disclosed that Nlp strongly promoted biofilm formation by Y. pestis. Further gene regulation assays showed that Nlp stimulated the expression of hmsHFRS, hmsCDE and hmsB, while had no regulatory effect on the expression of hmsT and hmsP at the transcriptional level. These findings promoted us to gain more understanding of the complex regulatory circuits controlling biofilm formation by Y. pestis.
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Bouvenot T, Dewitte A, Bennaceur N, Pradel E, Pierre F, Bontemps-Gallo S, Sebbane F. Interplay between Yersinia pestis and its flea vector in lipoate metabolism. THE ISME JOURNAL 2021; 15:1136-1149. [PMID: 33479491 PMCID: PMC8182812 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-00839-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
To thrive, vector-borne pathogens must survive in the vector's gut. How these pathogens successfully exploit this environment in time and space has not been extensively characterized. Using Yersinia pestis (the plague bacillus) and its flea vector, we developed a bioluminescence-based approach and employed it to investigate the mechanisms of pathogenesis at an unprecedented level of detail. Remarkably, lipoylation of metabolic enzymes, via the biosynthesis and salvage of lipoate, increases the Y. pestis transmission rate by fleas. Interestingly, the salvage pathway's lipoate/octanoate ligase LplA enhances the first step in lipoate biosynthesis during foregut colonization but not during midgut colonization. Lastly, Y. pestis primarily uses lipoate provided by digestive proteolysis (presumably as lipoyl peptides) rather than free lipoate in blood, which is quickly depleted by the vector. Thus, spatial and temporal factors dictate the bacterium's lipoylation strategies during an infection, and replenishment of lipoate by digestive proteolysis in the vector might constitute an Achilles' heel that is exploited by pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Typhanie Bouvenot
- grid.503422.20000 0001 2242 6780Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 9017 – CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Amélie Dewitte
- grid.503422.20000 0001 2242 6780Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 9017 – CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Nadia Bennaceur
- grid.503422.20000 0001 2242 6780Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 9017 – CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Elizabeth Pradel
- grid.503422.20000 0001 2242 6780Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 9017 – CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - François Pierre
- grid.503422.20000 0001 2242 6780Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 9017 – CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Sébastien Bontemps-Gallo
- grid.503422.20000 0001 2242 6780Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 9017 – CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Florent Sebbane
- grid.503422.20000 0001 2242 6780Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 9017 – CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
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7
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Hinnebusch BJ, Jarrett CO, Bland DM. Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms That Mediate Transmission of Yersinia pestis by Fleas. Biomolecules 2021; 11:210. [PMID: 33546271 PMCID: PMC7913351 DOI: 10.3390/biom11020210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to cause plague in mammals represents only half of the life history of Yersinia pestis. It is also able to colonize and produce a transmissible infection in the digestive tract of the flea, its insect host. Parallel to studies of the molecular mechanisms by which Y. pestis is able to overcome the immune response of its mammalian hosts, disseminate, and produce septicemia, studies of Y. pestis-flea interactions have led to the identification and characterization of important factors that lead to transmission by flea bite. Y. pestis adapts to the unique conditions in the flea gut by altering its metabolic physiology in ways that promote biofilm development, a common strategy by which bacteria cope with a nutrient-limited environment. Biofilm localization to the flea foregut disrupts normal fluid dynamics of blood feeding, resulting in regurgitative transmission. Many of the important genes, regulatory pathways, and molecules required for this process have been identified and are reviewed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Joseph Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (C.O.J.); (D.M.B.)
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8
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Dewitte A, Bouvenot T, Pierre F, Ricard I, Pradel E, Barois N, Hujeux A, Bontemps-Gallo S, Sebbane F. A refined model of how Yersinia pestis produces a transmissible infection in its flea vector. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008440. [PMID: 32294143 PMCID: PMC7185726 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In flea-borne plague, blockage of the flea's foregut by Yersinia pestis hastens transmission to the mammalian host. Based on microscopy observations, we first suggest that flea blockage results from primary infection of the foregut and not from midgut colonization. In this model, flea infection is characterized by the recurrent production of a mass that fills the lumen of the proventriculus and encompasses a large number of Y. pestis. This recurrence phase ends when the proventricular cast is hard enough to block blood ingestion. We further showed that ymt (known to be essential for flea infection) is crucial for cast production, whereas the hmsHFRS operon (known to be essential for the formation of the biofilm that blocks the gut) is needed for cast consolidation. By screening a library of mutants (each lacking a locus previously known to be upregulated in the flea gut) for biofilm formation, we found that rpiA is important for flea blockage but not for colonization of the midgut. This locus may initially be required to resist toxic compounds within the proventricular cast. However, once the bacterium has adapted to the flea, rpiA helps to form the biofilm that consolidates the proventricular cast. Lastly, we used genetic techniques to demonstrate that ribose-5-phosphate isomerase activity (due to the recent gain of a second copy of rpiA (y2892)) accentuated blockage but not midgut colonization. It is noteworthy that rpiA is an ancestral gene, hmsHFRS and rpiA2 were acquired by the recent ancestor of Y. pestis, and ymt was acquired by Y. pestis itself. Our present results (i) highlight the physiopathological and molecular mechanisms leading to flea blockage, (ii) show that the role of a gene like rpiA changes in space and in time during an infection, and (iii) emphasize that evolution is a gradual process punctuated by sudden jumps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Dewitte
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Typhanie Bouvenot
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - François Pierre
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Isabelle Ricard
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Elizabeth Pradel
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Nicolas Barois
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Anaïs Hujeux
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Sébastien Bontemps-Gallo
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Florent Sebbane
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017- CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
- * E-mail:
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9
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Cui Y, Schmid BV, Cao H, Dai X, Du Z, Ryan Easterday W, Fang H, Guo C, Huang S, Liu W, Qi Z, Song Y, Tian H, Wang M, Wu Y, Xu B, Yang C, Yang J, Yang X, Zhang Q, Jakobsen KS, Zhang Y, Stenseth NC, Yang R. Evolutionary selection of biofilm-mediated extended phenotypes in Yersinia pestis in response to a fluctuating environment. Nat Commun 2020; 11:281. [PMID: 31941912 PMCID: PMC6962365 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-14099-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis is transmitted from fleas to rodents when the bacterium develops an extensive biofilm in the foregut of a flea, starving it into a feeding frenzy, or, alternatively, during a brief period directly after feeding on a bacteremic host. These two transmission modes are in a trade-off regulated by the amount of biofilm produced by the bacterium. Here by investigating 446 global isolated Y. pestis genomes, including 78 newly sequenced isolates sampled over 40 years from a plague focus in China, we provide evidence for strong selection pressures on the RNA polymerase ω-subunit encoding gene rpoZ. We demonstrate that rpoZ variants have an increased rate of biofilm production in vitro, and that they evolve in the ecosystem during colder and drier periods. Our results support the notion that the bacterium is constantly adapting-through extended phenotype changes in the fleas-in response to climate-driven changes in the niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujun Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Boris V Schmid
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hanli Cao
- The Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830002, China
| | - Xiang Dai
- The Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830002, China
| | - Zongmin Du
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - W Ryan Easterday
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Haihong Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Chenyi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Shanqian Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Wanbing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Zhizhen Qi
- Key Laboratory for Plague Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Institute for Endemic Diseases Prevention and Control, Xining, 811602, China
| | - Yajun Song
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Huaiyu Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Min Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yarong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Bing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Chao Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xianwei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Qingwen Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Plague Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Institute for Endemic Diseases Prevention and Control, Xining, 811602, China
| | - Kjetill S Jakobsen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Yujiang Zhang
- The Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830002, China.
| | - Nils Chr Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, N-0316, Oslo, Norway. .,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Ruifu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.
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10
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Liu L, Zheng S. Transcriptional regulation of Yersinia pestis biofilm formation. Microb Pathog 2019; 131:212-217. [PMID: 30980880 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is transmitted primarily by infected fleas in nature. Y. pestis can produce biofilms that block flea's proventriculus and promote flea-borne transmission. Transcriptional regulation of Y. pestis biofilm formation plays an important role in the response to complex changes in environments, including temperature, pH, oxidative stress, and restrictive nutrition conditions, and contributes to Y. pestis growth, reproduction, transmission, and pathogenesis. A set of transcriptional regulators involved in Y. pestis biofilm production simultaneously controls a variety of biological functions and physiological pathways. Interactions between these regulators contribute to the development of Y. pestis gene regulatory networks, which are helpful for a quick response to complex environmental changes and better survival. The roles of crucial factors and regulators involved in response to complex environmental signals and Y. pestis biofilm formation as well as the precise gene regulatory networks are discussed in this review, which will give a better understanding of the complicated mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in Y. pestis biofilm formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- Department of Transfusion, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China; State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Shangen Zheng
- Department of Transfusion, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China.
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11
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Yang K, He Y, Park CG, Kang YS, Zhang P, Han Y, Cui Y, Bulgheresi S, Anisimov AP, Dentovskaya SV, Ying X, Jiang L, Ding H, Njiri OA, Zhang S, Zheng G, Xia L, Kan B, Wang X, Jing H, Yan M, Li W, Wang Y, Xiamu X, Chen G, Ma D, Bartra SS, Plano GV, Klena JD, Yang R, Skurnik M, Chen T. Yersinia pestis Interacts With SIGNR1 (CD209b) for Promoting Host Dissemination and Infection. Front Immunol 2019; 10:96. [PMID: 30915064 PMCID: PMC6422942 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, a Gram-negative bacterium and the etiologic agent of plague, has evolved from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, a cause of a mild enteric disease. However, the molecular and biological mechanisms of how Y. pseudotuberculosis evolved to such a remarkably virulent pathogen, Y. pestis, are not clear. The ability to initiate a rapid bacterial dissemination is a characteristic hallmark of Y. pestis infection. A distinguishing characteristic between the two Yersinia species is that Y. pseudotuberculosis strains possess an O-antigen of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) while Y. pestis has lost the O-antigen during evolution and therefore exposes its core LPS. In this study, we showed that Y. pestis utilizes its core LPS to interact with SIGNR1 (CD209b), a C-type lectin receptor on antigen presenting cells (APCs), leading to bacterial dissemination to lymph nodes, spleen and liver, and the initiation of a systemic infection. We therefore propose that the loss of O-antigen represents a critical step in the evolution of Y. pseudotuberculosis into Y. pestis in terms of hijacking APCs, promoting bacterial dissemination and causing the plague.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Yang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi, China
| | - Yingxia He
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Chae Gyu Park
- Laboratory of Immunology, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Young Sun Kang
- Laboratory of Immunology, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Pei Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Yanping Han
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Yujun Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrey P Anisimov
- State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Obolensk, Russia
| | | | - Xiaoling Ying
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lingyu Jiang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Honghui Ding
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Olivia Adhiambo Njiri
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering, Chuka University, Chuka, Kenya
| | - Shusheng Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Guoxing Zheng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Lianxu Xia
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Biao Kan
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Wang
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Huaiqi Jing
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Meiying Yan
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Li
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanzhi Wang
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi, China
| | - Xiding Xiamu
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi, China
| | - Gang Chen
- Institute of Organ Transplantation, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ding Ma
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Sara Schesser Bartra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Gregory V Plano
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
| | - John D Klena
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Ruifu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Mikael Skurnik
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Haartman Institute, Helsinki University Central Hospital Laboratory Diagnostics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tie Chen
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi, China
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12
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Hinnebusch BJ, Jarrett CO, Bland DM. "Fleaing" the Plague: Adaptations of Yersinia pestis to Its Insect Vector That Lead to Transmission. Annu Rev Microbiol 2018; 71:215-232. [PMID: 28886687 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-090816-093521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Interest in arthropod-borne pathogens focuses primarily on how they cause disease in humans. How they produce a transmissible infection in their arthropod host is just as critical to their life cycle, however. Yersinia pestis adopts a unique life stage in the digestive tract of its flea vector, characterized by rapid formation of a bacterial biofilm that is enveloped in a complex extracellular polymeric substance. Localization and adherence of the biofilm to the flea foregut is essential for transmission. Here, we review the molecular and genetic mechanisms of these processes and present a comparative evaluation and updated model of two related transmission mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Joseph Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana 59840;
| | - Clayton O Jarrett
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana 59840;
| | - David M Bland
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana 59840;
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13
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Characterization of the genome of a Nocardia strain isolated from soils in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau that specifically degrades crude oil and of this biodegradation. Genomics 2018; 111:356-366. [PMID: 29474825 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2018.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A strain of Nocardia isolated from crude oil-contaminated soils in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau degrades nearly all components of crude oil. This strain was identified as Nocardia soli Y48, and its growth conditions were determined. Complete genome sequencing showed that N. soli Y48 has a 7.3 Mb genome and many genes responsible for hydrocarbon degradation, biosurfactant synthesis, emulsification and other hydrocarbon degradation-related metabolisms. Analysis of the clusters of orthologous groups (COGs) and genomic islands (GIs) revealed that Y48 has undergone significant gene transfer events to adapt to changing environmental conditions (crude oil contamination). The structural features of the genome might provide a competitive edge for the survival of N. soli Y48 in oil-polluted environments and reflect the adaptation of coexisting bacteria to distinct nutritional niches.
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14
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Wierzbicki IH, Zielke RA, Korotkov KV, Sikora AE. Functional and structural studies on the Neisseria gonorrhoeae GmhA, the first enzyme in the glycero-manno-heptose biosynthesis pathways, demonstrate a critical role in lipooligosaccharide synthesis and gonococcal viability. Microbiologyopen 2017; 6:e00432. [PMID: 28063198 PMCID: PMC5387315 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Sedoheptulose-7-phosphate isomerase, GmhA, is the first enzyme in the biosynthesis of nucleotide-activated-glycero-manno-heptoses and an attractive, yet underexploited, target for development of broad-spectrum antibiotics. We demonstrated that GmhA homologs in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis (hereafter called GmhAGC and GmhANM , respectively) were interchangeable proteins essential for lipooligosaccharide (LOS) synthesis, and their depletion had adverse effects on neisserial viability. In contrast, the Escherichia coli ortholog failed to complement GmhAGC depletion. Furthermore, we showed that GmhAGC is a cytoplasmic enzyme with induced expression at mid-logarithmic phase, upon iron deprivation and anaerobiosis, and conserved in contemporary gonococcal clinical isolates including the 2016 WHO reference strains. The untagged GmhAGC crystallized as a tetramer in the closed conformation with four zinc ions in the active site, supporting that this is most likely the catalytically active conformation of the enzyme. Finally, site-directed mutagenesis studies showed that the active site residues E65 and H183 were important for LOS synthesis but not for GmhAGC function in bacterial viability. Our studies bring insights into the importance and mechanism of action of GmhA and may ultimately facilitate targeting the enzyme with small molecule inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor H. Wierzbicki
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesCollege of PharmacyOregon State UniversityCorvallisORUSA
| | - Ryszard A. Zielke
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesCollege of PharmacyOregon State UniversityCorvallisORUSA
| | - Konstantin V. Korotkov
- Department of Molecular & Cellular BiochemistryCollege of MedicineUniversity of KentuckyLexingtonKYUSA
| | - Aleksandra E. Sikora
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesCollege of PharmacyOregon State UniversityCorvallisORUSA
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15
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Afanas’ev MV, Balakhonov SV, Tokmakova EG, Polovinkina VS, Sidorova EA, Sinkov VV. Analysis of complete sequence of cryptic plasmid pTP33 from Yersinia pestis isolated in Tuva natural focus of plague. RUSS J GENET+ 2016. [DOI: 10.1134/s1022795416090027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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16
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Liu L, Fang H, Yang H, Zhang Y, Han Y, Zhou D, Yang R. CRP Is an Activator of Yersinia pestis Biofilm Formation that Operates via a Mechanism Involving gmhA and waaAE-coaD. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:295. [PMID: 27014218 PMCID: PMC4782182 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
gmhA encodes a phosphoheptose isomerase that catalyzes the biosynthesis of heptose, a conserved component of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). GmhA plays an important role in Yersinia pestis biofilm blockage in the flea gut. waaA, waaE, and coaD constitute a three-gene operon waaAE-coaD in Y. pestis. waaA encodes a transferase that is responsible for binding lipid-A to the core oligosaccharide of LPS. WaaA is a key determinant in Y. pestis biofilm formation, and the waaA expression is positively regulated by the two-component regulatory system PhoP/PhoQ. WaaE is involved in LPS modification and is necessary for Y. pestis biofilm production. In this study, the biofilm-related phenotypic assays indicate that the global regulator CRP stimulates Y. pestis biofilm formation in vitro and on nematodes, while it has no regulatory effect on the biosynthesis of the biofilm-signaling molecular 3',5'-cyclic diguanosine monophosphate. Further gene regulation experiments disclose that CRP does not regulate the hms genes at the transcriptional level but directly promotes the gmhA transcription and indirectly activates the waaAE-coaD transcription through directly acting on phoPQ-YPO1632. Thus, it is speculated that CRP-mediated carbon catabolite regulation of Y. pestis biofilm formation depends on the CRP-dependent carbon source metabolic pathways of the biosynthesis, modification, and transportation of biofilm exopolysaccharide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology Beijing, China
| | - Haihong Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology Beijing, China
| | - Huiying Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology Beijing, China
| | - Yiquan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University Zhenjiang, China
| | - Yanping Han
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology Beijing, China
| | - Dongsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology Beijing, China
| | - Ruifu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology Beijing, China
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17
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Abstract
Y. pestis exhibits dramatically different traits of pathogenicity and transmission, albeit their close genetic relationship with its ancestor-Y. pseudotuberculosis, a self-limiting gastroenteric pathogen. Y. pestis is evolved into a deadly pathogen and transmitted to mammals and/or human beings by infected flea biting or directly contacting with the infected animals. Various kinds of environmental changes are implicated into its complex life cycle and pathogenesis. Dynamic regulation of gene expression is critical for environmental adaptation or survival, primarily reflected by genetic regulation mediated by transcriptional factors and small regulatory RNAs at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional level, respectively. The effects of genetic regulation have been shown to profoundly influence Y. pestis physiology and pathogenesis such as stress resistance, biofilm formation, intracellular survival, and replication. In this chapter, we mainly summarize the progresses on popular methods of genetic regulation and on regulatory patterns and consequences of many key transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulators, with a particular emphasis on how genetic regulation influences the biofilm and virulence of Y. pestis.
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18
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Liu L, Fang N, Sun Y, Yang H, Zhang Y, Han Y, Zhou D, Yang R. Transcriptional regulation of the waaAE-coaD operon by PhoP and RcsAB in Yersinia pestis biovar Microtus. Protein Cell 2015; 5:940-4. [PMID: 25359466 PMCID: PMC4259886 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-014-0110-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
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19
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Earl SC, Rogers MT, Keen J, Bland DM, Houppert AS, Miller C, Temple I, Anderson DM, Marketon MM. Resistance to Innate Immunity Contributes to Colonization of the Insect Gut by Yersinia pestis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133318. [PMID: 26177454 PMCID: PMC4503695 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague, is typically a zoonotic vector-borne disease of wild rodents. Bacterial biofilm formation in the proventriculus of the flea contributes to chronic infection of fleas and facilitates efficient disease transmission. However prior to biofilm formation, ingested bacteria must survive within the flea midgut, and yet little is known about vector-pathogen interactions that are required for flea gut colonization. Here we establish a Drosophila melanogaster model system to gain insight into Y. pestis colonization of the insect vector. We show that Y. pestis establishes a stable infection in the anterior midgut of fly larvae, and we used this model system to study the roles of genes involved in biofilm production and/or resistance to gut immunity stressors. We find that PhoP and GmhA both contribute to colonization and resistance to antimicrobial peptides in flies, and furthermore, the data suggest biofilm formation may afford protection against antimicrobial peptides. Production of reactive oxygen species in the fly gut, as in fleas, also serves to limit bacterial infection, and OxyR mediates Y. pestis survival in both insect models. Overall, our data establish the fruit fly as an informative model to elucidate the relationship between Y. pestis and its flea vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun C. Earl
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Miles T. Rogers
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Keen
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - David M. Bland
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Andrew S. Houppert
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Caitlynn Miller
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Ian Temple
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Deborah M. Anderson
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Melanie M. Marketon
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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20
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Aoyagi KL, Brooks BD, Bearden SW, Montenieri JA, Gage KL, Fisher MA. LPS modification promotes maintenance of Yersinia pestis in fleas. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2014; 161:628-38. [PMID: 25533446 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, can be transmitted by fleas by two different mechanisms: by early-phase transmission (EPT), which occurs shortly after flea infection, or by blocked fleas following long-term infection. Efficient flea-borne transmission is predicated upon the ability of Y. pestis to be maintained within the flea. Signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) was used to identify genes required for Y. pestis maintenance in a genuine plague vector, Xenopsylla cheopis. The STM screen identified seven mutants that displayed markedly reduced fitness in fleas after 4 days, the time during which EPT occurs. Two of the mutants contained insertions in genes encoding glucose 1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (galU) and UDP-4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (arnB), which are involved in the modification of lipid A with 4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose (Ara4N) and resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs). These Y. pestis mutants were more susceptible to the CAMPs cecropin A and polymyxin B, and produced lipid A lacking Ara4N modifications. Surprisingly, an in-frame deletion of arnB retained modest levels of CAMP resistance and Ara4N modification, indicating the presence of compensatory factors. It was determined that WecE, an aminotransferase involved in biosynthesis of enterobacterial common antigen, plays a novel role in Y. pestis Ara4N modification by partially offsetting the loss of arnB. These results indicated that mechanisms of Ara4N modification of lipid A are more complex than previously thought, and these modifications, as well as several factors yet to be elucidated, play an important role in early survival and transmission of Y. pestis in the flea vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kari L Aoyagi
- University of Utah Department of Pathology, 2100 JMRB, 15 North Medical Drive East, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Benjamin D Brooks
- University of Utah Department of Pathology, 2100 JMRB, 15 North Medical Drive East, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Scott W Bearden
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - John A Montenieri
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - Kenneth L Gage
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - Mark A Fisher
- University of Utah Department of Pathology, 2100 JMRB, 15 North Medical Drive East, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, 500 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
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21
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YfbA, a Yersinia pestis regulator required for colonization and biofilm formation in the gut of cat fleas. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:1165-73. [PMID: 24391055 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01187-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
For transmission to new hosts, Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, replicates as biofilm in the foregut of fleas that feed on plague-infected animals or humans. Y. pestis biofilm formation has been studied in the rat flea; however, little is known about the cat flea, a species that may bridge zoonotic and anthroponotic plague cycles. Here, we show that Y. pestis infects and replicates as a biofilm in the foregut of cat fleas in a manner requiring hmsFR, two determinants for extracellular biofilm matrix. Examining a library of transposon insertion mutants, we identified the LysR-type transcriptional regulator YfbA, which is essential for Y. pestis colonization and biofilm formation in cat fleas.
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22
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Induction of the Yersinia pestis PhoP-PhoQ regulatory system in the flea and its role in producing a transmissible infection. J Bacteriol 2013; 195:1920-30. [PMID: 23435973 DOI: 10.1128/jb.02000-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmission of Yersinia pestis is greatly enhanced after it forms a bacterial biofilm in the foregut of the flea vector that interferes with normal blood feeding. Here we report that the ability to produce a normal foregut-blocking infection depends on induction of the Y. pestis PhoP-PhoQ two-component regulatory system in the flea. Y. pestis phoP-negative mutants achieved normal infection rates and bacterial loads in the flea midgut but produced a less cohesive biofilm both in vitro and in the flea and had a greatly reduced ability to localize to and block the flea foregut. Thus, not only is the PhoP-PhoQ system induced in the flea gut environment, but also this induction is required to produce a normal transmissible infection. The altered biofilm phenotype in the flea was not due to lack of PhoPQ-dependent or PmrAB-dependent addition of aminoarabinose to the Y. pestis lipid A, because an aminoarabinose-deficient mutant that is highly sensitive to cationic antimicrobial peptides had a normal phenotype in the flea digestive tract. In addition to enhancing transmissibility, induction of the PhoP-PhoQ system in the arthropod vector prior to transmission may preadapt Y. pestis to resist the initial encounter with the mammalian innate immune response.
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23
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24
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Spinner JL, Jarrett CO, LaRock DL, Miller SI, Collins CM, Hinnebusch BJ. Yersinia pestis insecticidal-like toxin complex (Tc) family proteins: characterization of expression, subcellular localization, and potential role in infection of the flea vector. BMC Microbiol 2012; 12:296. [PMID: 23249165 PMCID: PMC3543167 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Toxin complex (Tc) family proteins were first identified as insecticidal toxins in Photorhabdus luminescens and have since been found in a wide range of bacteria. The genome of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic plague, contains a locus that encodes the Tc protein homologues YitA, YitB, YitC, and YipA and YipB. Previous microarray data indicate that the Tc genes are highly upregulated by Y. pestis while in the flea vector; however, their role in the infection of fleas and pathogenesis in the mammalian host is unclear. Results We show that the Tc proteins YitA and YipA are highly produced by Y. pestis while in the flea but not during growth in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth at the same temperature. Over-production of the LysR-type regulator YitR from an exogenous plasmid increased YitA and YipA synthesis in broth culture. The increase in production of YitA and YipA correlated with the yitR copy number and was temperature-dependent. Although highly synthesized in fleas, deletion of the Tc proteins did not alter survival of Y. pestis in the flea or prevent blockage of the proventriculus. Furthermore, YipA was found to undergo post-translational processing and YipA and YitA are localized to the outer membrane of Y. pestis. YitA was also detected by immunofluorescence microscopy on the surface of Y. pestis. Both YitA and YipA are produced maximally at low temperature but persist for several hours after transfer to 37°C. Conclusions Y. pestis Tc proteins are highly expressed in the flea but are not essential for Y. pestis to stably infect or produce a transmissible infection in the flea. However, YitA and YipA localize to the outer membrane and YitA is exposed on the surface, indicating that at least YitA is present on the surface when Y. pestis is transmitted into the mammalian host from the flea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin L Spinner
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
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25
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Schiano CA, Lathem WW. Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in Yersinia species. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2012; 2:129. [PMID: 23162797 PMCID: PMC3493969 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2012.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2012] [Accepted: 10/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper regulation of gene expression is required by bacterial pathogens to respond to continually changing environmental conditions and the host response during the infectious process. While transcriptional regulation is perhaps the most well understood form of controlling gene expression, recent studies have demonstrated the importance of post-transcriptional mechanisms of gene regulation that allow for more refined management of the bacterial response to host conditions. Yersinia species of bacteria are known to use various forms of post-transcriptional regulation for control of many virulence-associated genes. These include regulation by cis- and trans-acting small non-coding RNAs, RNA-binding proteins, RNases, and thermoswitches. The effects of these and other regulatory mechanisms on Yersinia physiology can be profound and have been shown to influence type III secretion, motility, biofilm formation, host cell invasion, intracellular survival and replication, and more. In this review, we discuss these and other post-transcriptional mechanisms and their influence on virulence gene regulation, with a particular emphasis on how these processes influence the virulence of Yersinia in the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea A Schiano
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA
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26
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Kolodziejek AM, Hovde CJ, Minnich SA. Yersinia pestis Ail: multiple roles of a single protein. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2012; 2:103. [PMID: 22919692 PMCID: PMC3417512 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2012.00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2012] [Accepted: 07/14/2012] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis is one of the most virulent bacteria identified. It is the causative agent of plague—a systemic disease that has claimed millions of human lives throughout history. Y. pestis survival in insect and mammalian host species requires fine-tuning to sense and respond to varying environmental cues. Multiple Y. pestis attributes participate in this process and contribute to its pathogenicity and highly efficient transmission between hosts. These include factors inherited from its enteric predecessors; Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis, as well as phenotypes acquired or lost during Y. pestis speciation. Representatives of a large Enterobacteriaceae Ail/OmpX/PagC/Lom family of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) are found in the genomes of all pathogenic Yersiniae. This review describes the current knowledge regarding the role of Ail in Y. pestis pathogenesis and virulence. The pronounced role of Ail in the following areas are discussed (1) inhibition of the bactericidal properties of complement, (2) attachment and Yersinia outer proteins (Yop) delivery to host tissue, (3) prevention of PMNL recruitment to the lymph nodes, and (4) inhibition of the inflammatory response. Finally, Ail homologs in Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis are compared to illustrate differences that may have contributed to the drastic bacterial lifestyle change that shifted Y. pestis from an enteric to a vector-born systemic pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Kolodziejek
- School of Food Science, University of Idaho Moscow, ID, USA. akolodziejek@ vandals.uidaho.edu
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27
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Abstract
A comprehensive TnphoA mutant library was constructed in Yersinia pestis KIM6 to identify surface proteins involved in Y. pestis host cell invasion and bacterial virulence. Insertion site analysis of the library repeatedly identified a 9,042-bp chromosomal gene (YPO3944), intimin/invasin-like protein (Ilp), similar to the Gram-negative intimin/invasin family of surface proteins. Deletion mutants of ilp were generated in Y. pestis strains KIM5(pCD1(+)) Pgm(-) (pigmentation negative)/, KIM6(pCD1(-)) Pgm(+), and CO92. Comparative analyses were done with the deletions and the parental wild type for bacterial adhesion to and internalization by HEp-2 cells in vitro, infectivity and maintenance in the flea vector, and lethality in murine models of systemic and pneumonic plague. Deletion of ilp had no effect on bacterial blockage of flea blood feeding or colonization. The Y. pestis KIM5 Δilp strain had reduced adhesion to and internalization by HEp-2 cells compared to the parental wild-type strain (P < 0.05). Following intravenous challenge with Y. pestis KIM5 Δilp, mice had a delayed time to death and reduced dissemination to the lungs, livers, and kidneys as monitored by in vivo imaging using a lux reporter system (in vivo imaging system [IVIS]) and bacterial counts. Intranasal challenge in mice with Y. pestis CO92 Δilp had a 55-fold increase in the 50% lethal dose ([LD(50)] 1.64 × 10(4) CFU) compared to the parental wild-type strain LD(50) (2.98 × 10(2) CFU). These findings identified Ilp as a novel virulence factor of Y. pestis.
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Knirel Y, Anisimov A. Lipopolysaccharide of Yersinia pestis, the Cause of Plague: Structure, Genetics, Biological Properties. Acta Naturae 2012; 4:46-58. [PMID: 23150803 PMCID: PMC3492934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The present review summarizes data pertaining to the composition and structure of the carbohydrate moiety (core oligosaccharide) and lipid component (lipid A) of the various forms of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), one of the major pathogenicity factors ofYersinia pestis, the cause of plague. The review addresses the functions and the biological significance of genes for the biosynthesis of LPS, as well as the biological properties of LPS in strains from various intraspecies groups ofY. pestis and their mutants, including the contribution of LPS to the resistance of bacteria to factors of the innate immunity of both insect-vectors and mammal-hosts. Special attention is paid to temperature-dependent variations in the LPS structure, their genetic control and roles in the pathogenesis of plague. The evolutionary aspect is considered based on a comparison of the structure and genetics of the LPS ofY. pestis and other enteric bacteria, including otherYersinia species. The prospects of development of live plague vaccines created on the basis ofY. pestis strains with the genetically modified LPS are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y.A. Knirel
- Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky
prospect, 47, Moscow, Russia, 119991
| | - A.P. Anisimov
- State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Obolensk,
Moscow Region, Russia, 142279
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29
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Yersinia--flea interactions and the evolution of the arthropod-borne transmission route of plague. Curr Opin Microbiol 2012; 15:239-46. [PMID: 22406208 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2012.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2012] [Revised: 02/14/2012] [Accepted: 02/16/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is unique among the enteric group of Gram-negative bacteria in relying on a blood-feeding insect for transmission. The Yersinia-flea interactions that enable plague transmission cycles have had profound historical consequences as manifested by human plague pandemics. The arthropod-borne transmission route was a radical ecologic change from the food-borne and water-borne transmission route of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, from which Y. pestis diverged only within the last 20000 years. Thus, the interactions of Y. pestis with its flea vector that lead to colonization and successful transmission are the result of a recent evolutionary adaptation that required relatively few genetic changes. These changes from the Y. pseudotuberculosis progenitor included loss of insecticidal activity, increased resistance to antibacterial factors in the flea midgut, and extending Yersinia biofilm-forming ability to the flea host environment.
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The Yersinia pestis Rcs phosphorelay inhibits biofilm formation by repressing transcription of the diguanylate cyclase gene hmsT. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:2020-6. [PMID: 22328676 DOI: 10.1128/jb.06243-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, which causes bubonic plague, forms biofilms in fleas, its insect vectors, as a means to enhance transmission. Biofilm development is positively regulated by hmsT, encoding a diguanylate cyclase that synthesizes the bacterial second messenger cyclic-di-GMP. Biofilm development is negatively regulated by the Rcs phosphorelay signal transduction system. In this study, we show that Rcs-negative regulation is accomplished by repressing transcription of hmsT.
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31
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Hfq regulates biofilm gut blockage that facilitates flea-borne transmission of Yersinia pestis. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:2036-40. [PMID: 22328669 DOI: 10.1128/jb.06568-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The plague bacillus Yersinia pestis can achieve transmission by biofilm blockage of the foregut proventriculus of its flea vector. Hfq is revealed to be essential for biofilm blockage formation and acquisition and fitness of Y. pestis during flea gut infection, consistent with posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms in plague transmission.
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32
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Dentovskaya SV, Anisimov AP, Kondakova AN, Lindner B, Bystrova OV, Svetoch TE, Shaikhutdinova RZ, Ivanov SA, Bakhteeva IV, Titareva GM, Knirel AYA. Functional characterization and biological significance of Yersinia pestis lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis genes. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2012; 76:808-22. [PMID: 21999543 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297911070121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
In silico analysis of available bacterial genomes revealed the phylogenetic proximity levels of enzymes responsible for biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Yersinia pestis, the cause of plague, to homologous proteins of closely related Yersinia spp. and some other bacteria (Serratia proteamaculans, Erwinia carotovora, Burkholderia dolosa, Photorhabdus luminescens and others). Isogenic Y. pestis mutants with single or double mutations in 14 genes of LPS biosynthetic pathways were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis on the base of the virulent strain 231 and its attenuated derivative. Using high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, the full LPS structures were elucidated in each mutant, and the sequence of monosaccharide transfers in the assembly of the LPS core was inferred. Truncation of the core decreased significantly the resistance of bacteria to normal human serum and polymyxin B, the latter probably as a result of a less efficient incorporation of 4-amino-4-deoxyarabinose into lipid A. Impairing of LPS biosynthesis resulted also in reduction of LPS-dependent enzymatic activities of plasminogen activator and elevation of LD(50) and average survival time in mice and guinea pigs infected with experimental plague. Unraveling correlations between biological properties of bacteria and particular LPS structures may help a better understanding of pathogenesis of plague and implication of appropriate genes as potential molecular targets for treatment of plague.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Dentovskaya
- State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Obolensk, Moscow Region, Russia
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33
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Bacterial Biofilm and Peculiarities of Its Formation in Plague Agent and in Other Pathogenic Yersinia. PROBLEMS OF PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS INFECTIONS 2011. [DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2011-4(110)-5-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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34
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Sabirova JS, Becker A, Lünsdorf H, Nicaud JM, Timmis KN, Golyshin PN. Transcriptional profiling of the marine oil-degrading bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis during growth on n-alkanes. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2011; 319:160-8. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2011.02279.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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35
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Zhou D, Yang R. Formation and regulation of Yersinia biofilms. Protein Cell 2011; 2:173-9. [PMID: 21380640 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-011-1024-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2011] [Accepted: 02/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Flea-borne transmission is a recent evolutionary adaptation that distinguishes the deadly Yersinia pestis from its progenitor Y. Pseudotuberculosis, a mild pathogen transmitted via the food-borne route. Y. Pestis synthesizes biofilms in the flea gut, which is important for fleaborne transmission. Yersinia biofilms are bacterial colonies surrounded by extracellular matrix primarily containing a homopolymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine that are synthesized by a set of specific enzymes. Yersinia biofilm production is tightly regulated at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. All the known structural genes responsible for biofilm production are harbored in both Y. Pseudotuberculosis and Y. Pestis, but Y. Pestis has evolved changes in the regulation of biofilm development, thereby acquiring efficient arthropod-borne transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.
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36
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Lawrenz MB. Model systems to study plague pathogenesis and develop new therapeutics. Front Microbiol 2010; 1:119. [PMID: 21687720 PMCID: PMC3109633 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2010.00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2010] [Accepted: 10/11/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram negative bacterium Yersinia pestis can infect humans by multiple routes to cause plague. Three plague pandemics have occurred and Y. pestis has been linked to biowarfare in the past. The continued risk of plague as a bioweapon has prompted increased research to understand Y. pestis pathogenesis and develop new plague therapeutics. Several in vivo models have been developed for this research and are reviewed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Lawrenz
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville, KY, USA
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37
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Interkingdom signaling between pathogenic bacteria and Caenorhabditis elegans. Trends Microbiol 2010; 18:448-54. [PMID: 20667738 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2010.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2010] [Revised: 06/28/2010] [Accepted: 07/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Investigators have recently turned to the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a small animal infection model to study infectious disease. To extrapolate findings concerning bacterial pathogenesis from non-mammals to mammals, virulence factors should be conserved in function, independent of the infection model. Emerging from these studies is the observation that bacterial virulence regulatory networks function in a conserved manner across multiple hosts, including nematodes, mice and plants. Several regulatory networks have been implicated in nematode innate immune function and are being exploited in the C. elegans infection model to develop novel chemical therapies against bacterial pathogens.
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38
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Eroshenko GA, Vidyaeva NA, Kutyrev VV. Comparative analysis of biofilm formation by main and nonmain subspecies Yersinia pestis strains. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 59:513-20. [PMID: 20618849 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2010.00719.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The biofilm-forming phenotype of 14 isolates from four 'nonmain' subspecies of Yersinia pestis was compared with eight isolates from the more commonly studied 'main' or epidemic subspecies of Y. pestis in this study. The four nonmain subspecies are more geographically limited, and are associated with certain mammalian hosts and regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia, whereas the main subspecies spread worldwide during the historic plague pandemics. With the main subspecies pestis, pigmentation on Congo red medium (CR(+)) correlated with biofilm formation on both abiotic and biotic surfaces. Main subspecies pestis strains that do not produce pigmentation on Congo red medium (CR(-)) have a deletion that includes the hmsF and hmsS genes known to be required for biofilm formation. CR(-) strains of the nonmain subspecies, altaica and ulegeica, differed however from pestis and, while defective for biofilms on the two surfaces, both had intact hmsF and hmsS genes. The presence of rcsA was also investigated and results showed that it occurred with a 30-bp insertion in all forms of the subspecies. These findings suggest that biofilms are regulated differently in altaica and ulegeica than they are in pestis and also indicate that the rcsA pseudogene arose early in Y. pestis evolution, increasing the ability of the strain to form biofilm and thereby increasing its effective transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina A Eroshenko
- Russian Anti-Plague Research Institute Microbe, Universitetskaya, Saratov, Russian Federation.
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39
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Vadyvaloo V, Jarrett C, Sturdevant DE, Sebbane F, Hinnebusch BJ. Transit through the flea vector induces a pretransmission innate immunity resistance phenotype in Yersinia pestis. PLoS Pathog 2010; 6:e1000783. [PMID: 20195507 PMCID: PMC2829055 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2009] [Accepted: 01/20/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the agent of plague, is transmitted to mammals by infected fleas. Y. pestis exhibits a distinct life stage in the flea, where it grows in the form of a cohesive biofilm that promotes transmission. After transmission, the temperature shift to 37 degrees C induces many known virulence factors of Y. pestis that confer resistance to innate immunity. These factors are not produced in the low-temperature environment of the flea, however, suggesting that Y. pestis is vulnerable to the initial encounter with innate immune cells at the flea bite site. In this study, we used whole-genome microarrays to compare the Y. pestis in vivo transcriptome in infective fleas to in vitro transcriptomes in temperature-matched biofilm and planktonic cultures, and to the previously characterized in vivo gene expression profile in the rat bubo. In addition to genes involved in metabolic adaptation to the flea gut and biofilm formation, several genes with known or predicted roles in resistance to innate immunity and pathogenicity in the mammal were upregulated in the flea. Y. pestis from infected fleas were more resistant to phagocytosis by macrophages than in vitro-grown bacteria, in part attributable to a cluster of insecticidal-like toxin genes that were highly expressed only in the flea. Our results suggest that transit through the flea vector induces a phenotype that enhances survival and dissemination of Y. pestis after transmission to the mammalian host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viveka Vadyvaloo
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
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40
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Kutyrev VV, Eroshenko GA, Popov NV, Vidyaeva NA, Konnov NP. Molecular mechanisms of interactions of plague causative agents with invertebrates. MOLECULAR GENETICS, MICROBIOLOGY AND VIROLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.3103/s0891416809040028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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41
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Drace K, McLaughlin S, Darby C. Caenorhabditis elegans BAH-1 is a DUF23 protein expressed in seam cells and required for microbial biofilm binding to the cuticle. PLoS One 2009; 4:e6741. [PMID: 19707590 PMCID: PMC2727005 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2009] [Accepted: 07/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The cuticle of Caenorhabditis elegans, a complex, multi-layered extracellular matrix, is a major interface between the animal and its environment. Biofilms produced by the bacterial genus Yersinia attach to the cuticle of the worm, providing an assay for surface characteristics. A C. elegans gene required for biofilm attachment, bah-1, encodes a protein containing the domain of unknown function DUF23. The DUF23 domain is found in 61 predicted proteins in C. elegans, which can be divided into three distinct phylogenetic clades. bah-1 is expressed in seam cells, which are among the hypodermal cells that synthesize the cuticle, and is regulated by a TGF-β signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Drace
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, Program in Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Defense, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
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42
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43
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Sun YC, Koumoutsi A, Darby C. The response regulator PhoP negatively regulates Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis biofilms. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2008; 290:85-90. [PMID: 19025559 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2008.01409.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A few Yersinia pseudotuberculosis strains form biofilms on the head of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, but numerous others do not. We show that a widely used Y. pseudotuberculosis strain, YPIII, is biofilm positive because of a mutation in phoP, which encodes the response regulator of a two-component system. For two wild-type Y. pseudotuberculosis that do not make biofilms on C. elegans, deletion of phoP was sufficient to produce robust biofilms. In Yersinia pestis, a phoP mutant made more extensive biofilms in vitro than did the wild type. Expression of HmsT, a diguanylate cyclase that positively regulates biofilms, is diminished in Y. pseudotuberculosis strains with functional PhoP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Cheng Sun
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, Program in Microbial Pathogenesis, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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44
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Qiu J, Guo Z, Liu H, Zhou D, Han Y, Yang R. DNA microarray-based global transcriptional profiling of Yersinia pestis in multicellularity. J Microbiol 2008; 46:557-63. [DOI: 10.1007/s12275-008-0140-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2008] [Accepted: 08/14/2008] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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45
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Loss of a biofilm-inhibiting glycosyl hydrolase during the emergence of Yersinia pestis. J Bacteriol 2008; 190:8163-70. [PMID: 18931111 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01181-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague, forms a biofilm in the foregut of its flea vector to produce a transmissible infection. The closely related Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, from which Y. pestis recently evolved, can colonize the flea midgut but does not form a biofilm in the foregut. Y. pestis biofilm in the flea and in vitro is dependent on an extracellular matrix synthesized by products of the hms genes; identical genes are present in Y. pseudotuberculosis. The Yersinia Hms proteins contain functional domains present in Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus proteins known to synthesize a poly-beta-1,6-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine biofilm matrix. In this study, we show that the extracellular matrices (ECM) of Y. pestis and staphylococcal biofilms are antigenically related, indicating a similar biochemical structure. We also characterized a glycosyl hydrolase (NghA) of Y. pseudotuberculosis that cleaved beta-linked N-acetylglucosamine residues and reduced biofilm formation by staphylococci and Y. pestis in vitro. The Y. pestis nghA ortholog is a pseudogene, and overexpression of functional nghA reduced ECM surface accumulation and inhibited the ability of Y. pestis to produce biofilm in the flea foregut. Mutational loss of this glycosidase activity in Y. pestis may have contributed to the recent evolution of flea-borne transmission.
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46
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Experimental evidence for negative selection in the evolution of a Yersinia pestis pseudogene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:8097-101. [PMID: 18523005 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0803525105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the agent of bubonic plague, evolved from the enteric pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis within the past 20,000 years. Because ancestor and descendant both exist, it is possible to infer steps in molecular evolution by direct experimental approaches. The Y. pestis life cycle includes establishment of a biofilm within its vector, the flea. Although Y. pseudotuberculosis makes biofilms in other environments, it fails to do so in the insect. We show that rcsA, a negative regulator of biofilms that is functional in Y. pseudotuberculosis, is a pseudogene in Y. pestis. Replacement of the pseudogene with the functional Y. pseudotuberculosis rcsA allele strongly represses biofilm formation and essentially abolishes flea biofilms. The conversion of rcsA to a pseudogene during Y. pestis evolution, therefore, was a case of negative selection rather than neutral genetic drift.
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Pieper R, Huang ST, Clark DJ, Robinson JM, Parmar PP, Alami H, Bunai CL, Perry RD, Fleischmann RD, Peterson SN. Characterizing the dynamic nature of the Yersinia pestis periplasmic proteome in response to nutrient exhaustion and temperature change. Proteomics 2008; 8:1442-58. [PMID: 18383009 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.200700923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The periplasmic proteome of Yersinia pestis strain KIM6+ was characterized using differential 2-DE display of proteins isolated from several subcellular fractions. Circa 160 proteins were designated as periplasmic, including 62 (putative) solute-binding proteins of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters (SBPs) and 46 (putative) metabolic enzymes. More than 30 SBPs were significantly increased in abundance during stationary phase cell growth, compared to the exponential phase. The data suggest that nutrient exhaustion in the stationary phase triggers cellular responses resulting in the induced expression of numerous ABC transporters, which are responsible for the import of solutes/nutrients. Limited availability of inorganic phosphate (P(i)) also caused dramatic proteomic changes. Nine proteins were functionally linked to the mobilization and import of three small molecules (P(i), phosphonate and glycerol-3-phosphate) and accounted for nearly half of the total protein mass in the periplasm of P(i)-starved cells. When cells were grown at 26 degrees C versus 37 degrees C, corresponding to ambient temperatures in the flea vector and mammalian hosts, respectively, several periplasmic proteins with no known roles in the Y. pestis life cycle were strongly altered in abundance. This included a putative nitrate/sulfonate/bicarbonate-specific SBP (Y1004), encoded by the virulence-associated plasmid pMT1 and increased in abundance at 37 degrees C.
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Darby C. Uniquely insidious: Yersinia pestis biofilms. Trends Microbiol 2008; 16:158-64. [PMID: 18339547 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2008.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2007] [Revised: 01/16/2008] [Accepted: 01/23/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bubonic plague, one of history's deadliest infections, is transmitted by fleas infected with Yersinia pestis. The bacteria can starve fleas by blocking their digestive tracts, which stimulates the insects to bite repeatedly and thereby infect new hosts. Direct examination of infected fleas, aided by in vitro studies and experiments with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, have established that Y. pestis forms a biofilm in the insect. The extracellular matrix of the biofilm seems to contain a homopolymer of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, which is a constituent of many bacterial biofilms. A regulatory mechanism involved in Y. pestis biofilm formation, cyclic-di-GMP signaling, is also widespread in bacteria; yet only Y. pestis forms biofilms in fleas. Here, the historical background of bubonic plague is briefly described and recent studies investigating the mechanisms by which these unique and deadly biofilms are formed are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Creg Darby
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0640/Room C-734, San Francisco, CA 94143-0640, USA.
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Abstract
Recent genetic and molecular analyses have revealed how several strategies enable bacteria to persist and overcome insect immune defences. Genetic and genomic tools that can be used with Drosophila melanogaster have enabled the characterization of the pathways that are used by insects to detect bacterial invaders and combat infection. Conservation of bacterial virulence factors and insect immune repertoires indicates that there are common strategies of host invasion and pathogen eradication. Long-term interactions of bacteria with insects might ensure efficient dissemination of pathogens to other hosts, including humans.
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Hinnebusch BJ, Erickson DL. Yersinia pestis biofilm in the flea vector and its role in the transmission of plague. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2008; 322:229-48. [PMID: 18453279 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-75418-3_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Transmission by fleabite is a relatively recent evolutionary adaptation of Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of bubonic plague. To produce a transmissible infection, Y. pestis grows as an attached biofilm in the foregut of the flea vector. Biofilm formation both in the flea foregut and in vitro is dependent on an extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesized by the Yersinia hms gene products. The hms genes are similar to the pga and ica genes of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively, that act to synthesize a poly-beta-1,6-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine ECM required for biofilm formation. As with extracellular polysaccharide production in many other bacteria, synthesis of the Hms-dependent ECM is controlled by intracellular levels of cyclic-di-GMP. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, the food- and water-borne enteric pathogen from which Y. pestis evolved recently, possesses identical hms genes and can form biofilm in vitro but not in the flea. The genetic changes in Y. pestis that resulted in adapting biofilm-forming capability to the flea gut environment, a critical step in the evolution of vector-borne transmission, have yet to be identified. During a flea bite, Y. pestis is regurgitated into the dermis in a unique biofilm phenotype, and this has implications for the initial interaction with the mammalian innate immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- B J Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIH, NIAID, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
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