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Chiang-Ni C, Chiang CY, Chen YW, Shi YA, Chao YT, Wang S, Tsai PJ, Chiu CH. RopB-regulated SpeB cysteine protease degrades extracellular vesicles-associated streptolysin O and bacterial proteins from group A Streptococcus. Virulence 2023; 14:2249784. [PMID: 37621107 PMCID: PMC10461520 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2023.2249784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be released from gram-positive bacteria and would participate in the delivery of bacterial toxins. Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus, GAS) is one of the most common pathogens of monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis. Spontaneous inactivating mutation in the CovR/CovS two-component regulatory system is related to the increase of EVs production via an unknown mechanism. This study aimed to investigate whether the CovR/CovS-regulated RopB, the transcriptional regulator of GAS exoproteins, would participate in regulating EVs production. Results showed that the size, morphology, and number of EVs released from the wild-type strain and the ropB mutant were similar, suggesting RopB is not involved in controlling EVs production. Nonetheless, RopB-regulated SpeB protease degrades streptolysin O and bacterial proteins in EVs. Although SpeB has crucial roles in modulating protein composition in EVs, the SpeB-positive EVs failed to trigger HaCaT keratinocytes pyroptosis, suggesting that EVs did not deliver SpeB into keratinocytes or the amount of SpeB in EVs was not sufficient to trigger cell pyroptosis. Finally, we identified that EV-associated enolase was resistant to SpeB degradation, and therefore could be utilized as the internal control protein for verifying SLO degradation. This study revealed that RopB would participate in modulating protein composition in EVs via SpeB-dependent protein degradation and suggested that enolase is a potential internal marker for studying GAS EVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Chiang-Ni
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Yi Chiang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yan-Wen Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yong-An Shi
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Tzu Chao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Shuying Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Jane Tsai
- Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Hsun Chiu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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2
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DebRoy S, Shropshire WC, Vega L, Tran C, Horstmann N, Mukherjee P, Selvaraj-Anand S, Tran TT, Bremer J, Gohel M, Arias CA, Flores AR, Shelburne SA. Identification of distinct impacts of CovS inactivation on the transcriptome of acapsular group A streptococci. mSystems 2023; 8:e0022723. [PMID: 37358280 PMCID: PMC10470059 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00227-23] [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: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Group A streptococcal (GAS) strains causing severe, invasive infections often have mutations in the control of virulence two-component regulatory system (CovRS) which represses capsule production, and high-level capsule production is considered critical to the GAS hypervirulent phenotype. Additionally, based on studies in emm1 GAS, hyperencapsulation is thought to limit transmission of CovRS-mutated strains by reducing GAS adherence to mucosal surfaces. It has recently been identified that about 30% of invasive GAS strains lacks capsule, but there are limited data regarding the impact of CovS inactivation in such acapsular strains. Using publicly available complete genomes (n = 2,455) of invasive GAS strains, we identified similar rates of CovRS inactivation and limited evidence for transmission of CovRS-mutated isolates for both encapsulated and acapsular emm types. Relative to encapsulated GAS, CovS transcriptomes of the prevalent acapsular emm types emm28, emm87, and emm89 revealed unique impacts such as increased transcript levels of genes in the emm/mga region along with decreased transcript levels of pilus operon-encoding genes and the streptokinase-encoding gene ska. CovS inactivation in emm87 and emm89 strains, but not emm28, increased GAS survival in human blood. Moreover, CovS inactivation in acapsular GAS reduced adherence to host epithelial cells. These data suggest that the hypervirulence induced by CovS inactivation in acapsular GAS follows distinct pathways from the better studied encapsulated strains and that factors other than hyperencapsulation may account for the lack of transmission of CovRS-mutated strains. IMPORTANCE Devastating infections due to group A streptococci (GAS) tend to occur sporadically and are often caused by strains that contain mutations in the control of virulence regulatory system (CovRS). In well-studied emm1 GAS, the increased production of capsule induced by CovRS mutation is considered key to both hypervirulence and limited transmissibility by interfering with proteins that mediate attachment to eukaryotic cells. Herein, we show that the rates of covRS mutations and genetic clustering of CovRS-mutated isolates are independent of capsule status. Moreover, we found that CovS inactivation in multiple acapsular GAS emm types results in dramatically altered transcript levels of a diverse array of cell-surface protein-encoding genes and a unique transcriptome relative to encapsulated GAS. These data provide new insights into how a major human pathogen achieves hypervirulence and indicate that factors other than hyperencapsulation likely account for the sporadic nature of the severe GAS disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sruti DebRoy
- Department of Infectious Diseases Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - William C. Shropshire
- Department of Infectious Diseases Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Luis Vega
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chau Tran
- Department of Infectious Diseases Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Nicola Horstmann
- Department of Infectious Diseases Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Piyali Mukherjee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Truc T. Tran
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jordan Bremer
- Department of Infectious Diseases Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Marc Gohel
- Department of Infectious Diseases Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Cesar A. Arias
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Anthony R. Flores
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Samuel A. Shelburne
- Department of Infectious Diseases Infection Control and Employee Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
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3
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Chiang-Ni C, Chen YW, Chen KL, Jiang JX, Shi YA, Hsu CY, Chen YYM, Lai CH, Chiu CH. RopB represses the transcription of speB in the absence of SIP in group A Streptococcus. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202201809. [PMID: 37001914 PMCID: PMC10071013 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
RopB is a quorum-sensing regulator that binds to the SpeB-inducing peptide (SIP) under acidic conditions. SIP is known to be degraded by the endopeptidase PepO, whose transcription is repressed by the CovR/CovS two-component regulatory system. Both SIP-bound RopB (RopB-SIP) and SIP-free RopB (apo-RopB) can bind to the speB promoter; however, only RopB-SIP activates speB transcription. In this study, we found that the SpeB expression was higher in the ropB mutant than in the SIP-inactivated (SIP*) mutant. Furthermore, the deletion of ropB in the SIP* mutant derepressed speB expression, suggesting that apo-RopB is a transcriptional repressor of speB Up-regulation of PepO in the covS mutant degraded SIP, resulting in the down-regulation of speB We demonstrate that deleting ropB in the covS mutant derepressed the speB expression, suggesting that the speB repression in this mutant was mediated not only by PepO-dependent SIP degradation but also by apo-RopB. These findings reveal a crosstalk between the CovR/CovS and RopB-SIP systems and redefine the role of RopB in regulating speB expression in group A Streptococcus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Chiang-Ni
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yan-Wen Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Lin Chen
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jian-Xian Jiang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yong-An Shi
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Yun Hsu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ywan M Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Ho Lai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Hsun Chiu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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Plainvert C, Rosinski-Chupin I, Weckel A, Lambert C, Touak G, Sauvage E, Poyart C, Glaser P, Fouet A. A Novel CovS Variant Harbored by a Colonization Strain Reduces Streptococcus pyogenes Virulence. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0003923. [PMID: 36920220 PMCID: PMC10127592 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00039-23] [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: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as group A Streptococcus, causes a wide variety of diseases ranging from mild noninvasive to severe invasive infections. To identify possible causes of colonization-to-invasive switches, we determined the genomic sequences of 10 isolates from five pairs each composed of an invasive strain and a carriage strain originating from five infectious clusters. Among them, one pair displayed a single-nucleotide difference in covS, encoding the sensor histidine kinase of the two-component CovRS system that controls the expression of 15% of the genome. In contrast to previously described cases where the invasive strains harbor nonfunctional CovS proteins, the carriage strain possessed the mutation covST115C, leading to the replacement of the tyrosine at position 39 by a histidine. The CovSY39H mutation affected the expression of the genes from the CovR regulon in a unique fashion. Genes usually overexpressed in covS mutant strains were underexpressed and vice versa. Furthermore, the covS mutant strain barely responded to the addition of the CovS-signaling compounds Mg2+ and LL-37. The variations in the accumulation of two virulence factors paralleled the transcription modifications. In addition, the covST115C mutant strain showed less survival than its wild-type counterpart in murine macrophages. Finally, in two murine models of infection, the covS mutant strain was less virulent than the wild-type strain. Our study suggests that the CovSY39H protein compromises CovS phosphatase activity and that this yields a noninvasive strain. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as group A Streptococcus, causes a wide variety of diseases, leading to 517,000 deaths yearly. The two-component CovRS system, which responds to MgCl2 and the antimicrobial peptide LL-37, controls the expression of 15% of the genome. Invasive strains may harbor nonfunctional CovS sensor proteins that lead to the derepression of most virulence genes. We isolated a colonization strain that harbors a novel covS mutation. This mutant strain harbored a transcriptome profile opposite that of other covS mutant strains, barely responded to environmental signals, and was less virulent than the wild-type strain. This supports the importance of the derepression of the expression of most virulence genes, via mutations that impact the phosphorylation of the regulator CovR, for favoring S. pyogenes invasive infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Plainvert
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, U1016, CNRS, UMR8104, Paris, France
- Service de Bactériologie, CNR des Streptocoques, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Rosinski-Chupin
- Institut Pasteur, Ecologie et Evolution de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques, UMR3525, Paris, France
| | - Antonin Weckel
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, U1016, CNRS, UMR8104, Paris, France
| | - Clara Lambert
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, U1016, CNRS, UMR8104, Paris, France
| | - Gérald Touak
- Service de Bactériologie, CNR des Streptocoques, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre, Paris, France
| | - Elisabeth Sauvage
- Institut Pasteur, Ecologie et Evolution de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques, UMR3525, Paris, France
| | - Claire Poyart
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, U1016, CNRS, UMR8104, Paris, France
- Service de Bactériologie, CNR des Streptocoques, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre, Paris, France
| | - Philippe Glaser
- Institut Pasteur, Ecologie et Evolution de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques, UMR3525, Paris, France
| | - Agnès Fouet
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, U1016, CNRS, UMR8104, Paris, France
- Service de Bactériologie, CNR des Streptocoques, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre, Paris, France
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5
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Tsai WJ, Lai YH, Shi YA, Hammel M, Duff AP, Whitten AE, Wilde KL, Wu CM, Knott R, Jeng US, Kang CY, Hsu CY, Wu JL, Tsai PJ, Chiang-Ni C, Wu JJ, Lin YS, Liu CC, Senda T, Wang S. Structural basis underlying the synergism of NADase and SLO during group A Streptococcus infection. Commun Biol 2023; 6:124. [PMID: 36721030 PMCID: PMC9887584 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04502-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a strict human pathogen possessing a unique pathogenic trait that utilizes the cooperative activity of NAD+-glycohydrolase (NADase) and Streptolysin O (SLO) to enhance its virulence. How NADase interacts with SLO to synergistically promote GAS cytotoxicity and intracellular survival is a long-standing question. Here, the structure and dynamic nature of the NADase/SLO complex are elucidated by X-ray crystallography and small-angle scattering, illustrating atomic details of the complex interface and functionally relevant conformations. Structure-guided studies reveal a salt-bridge interaction between NADase and SLO is important to cytotoxicity and resistance to phagocytic killing during GAS infection. Furthermore, the biological significance of the NADase/SLO complex in GAS virulence is demonstrated in a murine infection model. Overall, this work delivers the structure-functional relationship of the NADase/SLO complex and pinpoints the key interacting residues that are central to the coordinated actions of NADase and SLO in the pathogenesis of GAS infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Jiun Tsai
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsin Lai
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yong-An Shi
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Michal Hammel
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Anthony P Duff
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew E Whitten
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Karyn L Wilde
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Chun-Ming Wu
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Robert Knott
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - U-Ser Jeng
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Yu Kang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Yu Hsu
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Jian-Li Wu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Jane Tsai
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan
- Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chuan Chiang-Ni
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
| | - Jiunn-Jong Wu
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yee-Shin Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Chuan Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Toshiya Senda
- Structural Biology Research Center, Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shuying Wang
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
- Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
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6
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Abstract
Necrotizing fasciitis is a severe infectious disease that results in significant mortality. Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus, GAS) is one of the most common bacterial pathogens of monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis. The early diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis is crucial; however, the typical cutaneous manifestations are not always presented in patients with GAS necrotizing fasciitis, which would lead to miss- or delayed diagnosis. GAS with spontaneous inactivating mutations in the CovR/CovS two-component regulatory system is significantly associated with destructive diseases such as necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome; however, no specific marker has been used to identify these invasive clinical isolates. This study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of using CovR/CovS-controlled phenotypes to identify CovR/CovS-inactivated isolates. Results showed that the increase of hyaluronic acid capsule production and streptolysin O expression were not consistently presented in CovS-inactivated clinical isolates. The repression of SpeB is the phenotype with 100% sensitivity of identifying in CovS-inactivated isolates among 61 clinical isolates. Nonetheless, this phenotype failed to distinguish RopB-inactivated isolates from CovS-inactivated isolates and cannot be utilized to identify CovR-inactivated mutant and RocA (Regulator of Cov)-inactivated isolates. In this study, we identified and verified that PepO, the endopeptidase which regulates SpeB expression through degrading SpeB-inducing quorum-sensing peptide, was a bacterial marker to identify isolates with defects in the CovR/CovS pathway. These results also inform the potential strategy of developing rapid detection methods to identify invasive GAS variants during infection. IMPORTANCE Necrotizing fasciitis is rapidly progressive and life-threatening; if the initial diagnosis is delayed, deep soft tissue infection can progress to massive tissue destruction and toxic shock syndrome. Group A Streptococcus (GAS) with inactivated mutations in the CovR/CovS two-component regulatory system are related to necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome; however, no bacterial marker is available to identify these invasive clinical isolates. Inactivation of CovR/CovS resulted in the increased expression of endopeptidase PepO. Our study showed that the upregulation of PepO mediates a decrease in SpeB-inducing peptide (SIP) in the covR mutant, indicating that CovR/CovS modulates SIP-dependent quorum-sensing activity through PepO. Importantly, the sensitivity and specificity of utilizing PepO to identify clinical isolates with defects in the CovR/CovS pathway, including its upstream RocA regulator, were 100%. Our results suggest that identification of invasive GAS by PepO may be a strategy for preventing severe manifestation or poor prognosis after GAS infection.
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7
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Chiang-Ni C, Liu YS, Lin CY, Hsu CY, Shi YA, Chen YYM, Lai CH, Chiu CH. Incidence and Effects of Acquisition of the Phage-Encoded ssa Superantigen Gene in Invasive Group A Streptococcus. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:685343. [PMID: 34149675 PMCID: PMC8212969 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.685343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The acquisition of the phage-encoded superantigen ssa by scarlet fever-associated group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes, GAS) is found in North Asia. Nonetheless, the impact of acquiring ssa by GAS in invasive infections is unclear. This study initially analyzed the prevalence of ssa+ GAS among isolates from sterile tissues and blood. Among 220 isolates in northern Taiwan, the prevalence of ssa+ isolates increased from 1.5% in 2008–2010 to 40% in 2017–2019. Spontaneous mutations in covR/covS, which result in the functional loss of capacity to phosphorylate CovR, are frequently recovered from GAS invasive infection cases. Consistent with this, Phostag western blot results indicated that among the invasive infection isolates studied, 10% of the ssa+ isolates lacked detectable phosphorylated CovR. Transcription of ssa is upregulated in the covS mutant. Furthermore, in emm1 and emm12 covS mutants, ssa deletion significantly reduced their capacity to grow in human whole blood. Finally, this study showed that the ssa gene could be transferred from emm12-type isolates to the emm1-type wild-type strain and covS mutants through phage infection and lysogenic conversion. As the prevalence of ssa+ isolates increased significantly, the role of streptococcal superantigen in GAS pathogenesis, particularly in invasive covR/covS mutants, should be further analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Chiang-Ni
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.,Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Shan Liu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chieh-Yu Lin
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Yun Hsu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yong-An Shi
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ywan M Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Ho Lai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Hsun Chiu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.,Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
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8
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Lannes-Costa PS, de Oliveira JSS, da Silva Santos G, Nagao PE. A current review of pathogenicity determinants of Streptococcus sp. J Appl Microbiol 2021; 131:1600-1620. [PMID: 33772968 DOI: 10.1111/jam.15090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The genus Streptococcus comprises important pathogens, many of them are part of the human or animal microbiota. Advances in molecular genetics, taxonomic approaches and phylogenomic studies have led to the establishment of at least 100 species that have a severe impact on human health and are responsible for substantial economic losses to agriculture. The infectivity of the pathogens is linked to cell-surface components and/or secreted virulence factors. Bacteria have evolved sophisticated and multifaceted adaptation strategies to the host environment, including biofilm formation, survival within professional phagocytes, escape the host immune response, amongst others. This review focuses on virulence mechanism and zoonotic potential of Streptococcus species from pyogenic (S. agalactiae, S. pyogenes) and mitis groups (S. pneumoniae).
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Affiliation(s)
- P S Lannes-Costa
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - J S S de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - G da Silva Santos
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - P E Nagao
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Tsai HJ, Cheng JC, Kao ML, Chiu HP, Chiang YH, Chen DP, Rau KM, Liao HR, Tseng CP. Integrin αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling activates human platelets through serine 24 phosphorylation of Disabled-2. Cell Biosci 2021; 11:32. [PMID: 33557943 PMCID: PMC7869483 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-021-00532-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bidirectional integrin αIIbβ3 signaling is essential for platelet activation. The platelet adaptor protein Disabled-2 (Dab2) is a key regulator of integrin signaling and is phosphorylated at serine 24 in eukaryotic cells. However, the mechanistic insight and function of Dab2-serine 24 phosphorylation (Dab2-pSer24) in platelet biology are barely understood. This study aimed to define whether and how Dab2 is phosphorylated at Ser24 during platelet activation and to investigate the effect of Dab2-pSer24 on platelet function. Results An antibody with confirmed specificity for Dab2-pSer24 was generated. By using this antibody as a tool, we showed that protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated Dab2-pSer24 was a conservative signaling event when human platelets were activated by the platelet agonists such as thrombin, collagen, ADP, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, and the thromboxane A2 activator U46619. The agonists-stimulated Dab2-pSer24 was attenuated by pretreatment of platelets with the RGDS peptide which inhibits integrin outside-in signaling by competitive binding of integrin αIIb with fibrinogen. Direct activation of platelet integrin outside-in signaling by combined treatment of platelets with manganese dichloride and fibrinogen or by spreading of platelets on fibrinogen also resulted in Dab2-pSer24. These findings implicate that Dab2-pSer24 was associated with the outside-in signaling of integrin. Further analysis revealed that Dab2-pSer24 was downstream of Src-PKC-axis and phospholipase D1 underlying the integrin αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling. A membrane penetrating peptide R11-Ser24 which contained 11 repeats of arginine linked to the Dab2-Ser24 phosphorylation site and its flanking sequences (RRRRRRRRRRR19APKAPSKKEKK29) and the R11-S24A peptide with Ser24Ala mutation were designed to elucidate the functions of Dab2-pSer24. R11-Ser24 but not R11-S24A inhibited agonists-stimulated Dab2-pSer24 and consequently suppressed platelet spreading on fibrinogen, with no effect on platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding. Notably, Ser24 and the previously reported Ser723 phosphorylation (Dab2-pSer723) occurred exclusively in a single Dab2 molecule and resulted in distinctive subcellular distribution and function of Dab2. Dab2-pSer723 was mainly distributed in the cytosol of activated platelets and associated with integrin inside-out signaling, while Dab2-pSer24 was mainly distributed in the membrane fraction of activated platelets and associated with integrin outside-in signaling. Conclusions These findings demonstrate for the first time that Dab2-pSer24 is conservative in integrin αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling during platelet activation and plays a novel role in the control of cytoskeleton reorganization and platelet spreading on fibrinogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Ju Tsai
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Ju-Chien Cheng
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, China Medical University, Taichung, 404, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Man-Leng Kao
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hung-Pin Chiu
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yi-Hsuan Chiang
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Ding-Ping Chen
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Kun-Ming Rau
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, E-Da Cancer Hospital, Kaohsiung, 824, Taiwan, Republic of China.,School of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, 824, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hsiang-Ruei Liao
- Graduate institute of Natural Products, College of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Graduate institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Department of Anesthesiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Ching-Ping Tseng
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China. .,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China. .,Graduate institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China. .,Molecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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RocA Regulates Phosphatase Activity of Virulence Sensor CovS of Group A Streptococcus in Growth Phase- and pH-Dependent Manners. mSphere 2020; 5:5/3/e00361-20. [PMID: 32434842 PMCID: PMC7380576 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00361-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of invasive group A streptococcal infections has been reported worldwide. Clinical isolates that have spontaneous mutations or a truncated allele of the rocA gene (e.g., emm3-type isolates) are considered to be more virulent than isolates with the intact rocA gene (e.g., emm1-type isolates). RocA is a positive regulator of covR and has been shown to enhance the phosphorylation level of intracellular CovR regulator through the functional CovS protein. CovS is the membrane-embedded sensor and modulates the phosphorylation level of CovR by its kinase and phosphatase activities. The present study shows that the enhancement of CovR phosphorylation is mediated via the repression of CovS’s phosphatase activity by RocA. In addition, we found that RocA acts dominantly on modulating CovR phosphorylation under neutral pH conditions and in the exponential phase of growth. The phosphorylation level of CovR is crucial for group A Streptococcus species to regulate virulence factor expression and is highly related to bacterial invasiveness; therefore, growth phase- and pH-dependent RocA activity and the sequence polymorphisms of rocA gene would contribute significantly to bacterial phenotype variations and pathogenesis. The control of the virulence response regulator and sensor (CovR-CovS) two-component regulatory system in group A Streptococcus (GAS) strains regulates more than 15% of gene expression and has critical roles in invasive GAS infection. The membrane-embedded CovS has kinase and phosphatase activities, and both are required for modulating the phosphorylation level of CovR. Regulator of Cov (RocA) is a positive regulator of covR and also been shown to be a pseudokinase that interacts with CovS to enhance the phosphorylation level of CovR; however, how RocA modulates the activity of CovS has not been determined conclusively. Although the phosphorylation level of CovR was decreased in the rocA mutant in the exponential phase, the present study shows that phosphorylated CovR in the rocA mutant increased to levels similar to those in the wild-type strain in the stationary phase of growth. In addition, acidic stress, which is generally present in the stationary phase, enhanced the phosphorylation level of CovR in the rocA mutant. The phosphorylation levels of CovR in the CovS phosphatase-inactivated mutant and its rocA mutant were similar under acidic stress and Mg2+ (the signal that inhibits CovS phosphatase activity) treatments, suggesting that the phosphatase activity, but not the kinase activity, of CovS is required for RocA to modulate CovR phosphorylation. The phosphorylation level of CovR is crucial for GAS strains to regulate virulence factor expression; therefore, the growth phase- and pH-dependent RocA activity would contribute significantly to GAS pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE The emergence of invasive group A streptococcal infections has been reported worldwide. Clinical isolates that have spontaneous mutations or a truncated allele of the rocA gene (e.g., emm3-type isolates) are considered to be more virulent than isolates with the intact rocA gene (e.g., emm1-type isolates). RocA is a positive regulator of covR and has been shown to enhance the phosphorylation level of intracellular CovR regulator through the functional CovS protein. CovS is the membrane-embedded sensor and modulates the phosphorylation level of CovR by its kinase and phosphatase activities. The present study shows that the enhancement of CovR phosphorylation is mediated via the repression of CovS’s phosphatase activity by RocA. In addition, we found that RocA acts dominantly on modulating CovR phosphorylation under neutral pH conditions and in the exponential phase of growth. The phosphorylation level of CovR is crucial for group A Streptococcus species to regulate virulence factor expression and is highly related to bacterial invasiveness; therefore, growth phase- and pH-dependent RocA activity and the sequence polymorphisms of rocA gene would contribute significantly to bacterial phenotype variations and pathogenesis.
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Effect of Phosphatase Activity of the Control of Virulence Sensor (CovS) on Clindamycin-Mediated Streptolysin O Production in Group A Streptococcus. Infect Immun 2019; 87:IAI.00583-19. [PMID: 31527126 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00583-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe manifestations of group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections are associated with massive tissue destruction and high mortality. Clindamycin (CLI), a bacterial protein synthesis inhibitor, is recommended for treating patients with severe invasive GAS infection. Nonetheless, the subinhibitory concentration of CLI induces the production of GAS virulent exoproteins, such as streptolysin O (SLO) and NADase, which would enhance bacterial virulence and invasiveness. A better understanding of the molecular mechanism of how CLI triggers GAS virulence factor expression will be critical to develop appropriate therapeutic approaches. The present study shows that CLI activates SLO and NADase expressions in the emm1-type CLI-susceptible wild-type strain but not in covS or control of virulence sensor (CovS) phosphatase-inactivated mutants. Supplementation with Mg2+, which is a CovS phosphatase inhibitor, inhibits the CLI-mediated SLO upregulation in a dose-dependent manner in CLI-susceptible and CLI-resistant strains. These results not only reveal that the phosphorylation of response regulator CovR is essential for responding to CLI stimuli, but also suggest that inhibiting the phosphatase activity of CovS could be a potential strategy for the treatment of invasive GAS infection with CLI.
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Jain I, Danger JL, Burgess C, Uppal T, Sumby P. The group A Streptococcus accessory protein RocA: regulatory activity, interacting partners and influence on disease potential. Mol Microbiol 2019; 113:190-207. [PMID: 31660653 PMCID: PMC7028121 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes diseases that range from mild (e.g. pharyngitis) to severely invasive (e.g. necrotizing fasciitis). Strain‐ and serotype‐specific differences influence the ability of isolates to cause individual diseases. At the center of this variability is the CovR/S two‐component system and the accessory protein RocA. Through incompletely defined mechanisms, CovR/S and RocA repress the expression of more than a dozen immunomodulatory virulence factors. Alleviation of this repression is selected for during invasive infections, leading to the recovery of covR, covS or rocA mutant strains. Here, we investigated how RocA promotes CovR/S activity, identifying that RocA is a pseudokinase that interacts with CovS. Disruption of CovS kinase or phosphatase activities abolishes RocA function, consistent with RocA acting through the modulation of CovS activity. We also identified, in conflict with a previous study, that the RocA regulon includes the secreted protease‐encoding gene speB. Finally, we discovered an inverse correlation between the virulence of wild‐type, rocA mutant, covS mutant and covR mutant strains during invasive infection and their fitness in an ex vivo upper respiratory tract model. Our data inform on mechanisms that control GAS disease potential and provide an explanation for observed strain‐ and serotype‐specific variability in RocA function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ira Jain
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Jessica L Danger
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Cameron Burgess
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Timsy Uppal
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Paul Sumby
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
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