Functional and phylogenetic analysis of ureD in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli

Phylogenetic relationship and virulence composition of Escherichia coli O26:H11 cattle and human strain collections in Scotland; 2002-2020

O26 is the commonest non-O157 Shiga toxin (stx)-producing Escherichia coli serogroup reported in human infections worldwide. Ruminants, particularly cattle, are the primary reservoir source for human infection. In this study, we compared the whole genomes and virulence profiles of O26:H11 strains (n = 99) isolated from Scottish cattle with strains from human infections (n = 96) held by the Scottish Escherichia coli O157/STEC Reference Laboratory, isolated between 2002 and 2020. Bovine strains were from two national cross-sectional cattle surveys conducted between 2002-2004 and 2014-2015. A maximum likelihood phylogeny was constructed from a core-genome alignment with the O26:H11 strain 11368 reference genome. Genomes were screened against a panel of 2,710 virulence genes using the Virulence Finder Database. All stx-positive bovine O26:H11 strains belonged to the ST21 lineage and were grouped into three main clades. Bovine and human source strains were interspersed, and the stx subtype was relatively clade-specific. Highly pathogenic stx2a-only ST21 strains were identified in two herds sampled in the second cattle survey and in human clinical infections from 2010 onwards. The closest pairwise distance was 9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between Scottish bovine and human strains and 69 SNPs between the two cattle surveys. Bovine O26:H11 was compared to public EnteroBase ST29 complex genomes and found to have the greatest commonality with O26:H11 strains from the rest of the UK, followed by France, Italy, and Belgium. Virulence profiles of stx-positive bovine and human strains were similar but more conserved for the stx2a subtype. O26:H11 stx-negative ST29 (n = 17) and ST396 strains (n = 5) were isolated from 19 cattle herds; all were eae-positive, and 10 of these herds yielded strains positive for ehxA, espK, and Z2098, gene markers suggestive of enterohaemorrhagic potential. There was a significant association (p < 0.001) between nucleotide sequence percent identity and stx status for the bacteriophage insertion site genes yecE for stx2 and yehV for stx1. Acquired antimicrobial resistance genes were identified in silico in 12.1% of bovine and 17.7% of human O26:H11 strains, with sul2, tet, aph(3″), and aph(6″) being most common. This study describes the diversity among Scottish bovine O26:H11 strains and investigates their relationship to human STEC infections.

Whole genome sequencing based typing and characterisation of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli strains belonging to O157 and O26 serotypes and isolated in dairy farms

In the present study, the genetic relationships as well as the virulome and resistome of newly sequenced O26 and O157 Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) isolates, collected from dairy farms in Italy, were investigated in comparison to publicly available genomes collected worldwide. The whole genome of Italian isolates was sequenced on Illumina MiSeq Platform. Reads quality control, de novo draft genome assembly, species confirmation and the 7- loci Multi-Locus Sequence Type assignment were performed using INNUca pipeline. Reference-based SNPs calling was performed on O157 and O26 genomes, separately, mapping contigs to high-quality finished genomes. Virulence and antimicrobial resistance determinants were detected in silico using the tool ABRicate. Phylogenetic reconstructions revealed that genomes clustered mainly based on their 7-loci MLST type. The virulome of tested genomes included 190 determinants. O157 genomes carried chu genes associated to heme mediated iron uptake, whereas O26 genomes harboured genes ybt associated to siderophore mediated iron uptake. Resistome analysis showed the presence of tet(34) on all but one O157 genomes and on only one O26 genomes. Only 4 genomes carried genes associated to multiresistance. In the present study, the genes chu and ybt were identified as potential biomarker for the differentiation of O157 and O26 serotypes.

Protein Tunnels: The Case of Urease Accessory Proteins

Transition metals are both essential micronutrients and limited in environmental availability. The Ni(II)-dependent urease protein, the most efficient enzyme known to date, is a paradigm for studying the strategies that cells use to handle an essential, yet toxic, metal ion. Urease is a virulence factor of several human pathogens, in addition to decreasing the efficiency of soil organic nitrogen fertilization. Ni(II) insertion in the urease active site is performed through the action of three essential accessory proteins: UreD, UreF, and UreG. The crystal structure of the UreD-UreF-UreG complex from the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori (HpUreDFG) revealed the presence of tunnels that cross the entire length of both UreF and UreD, potentially able to deliver Ni(II) ions from UreG to apo-urease. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations performed on the HpUreDFG complex in explicit solvent and at physiological ionic conditions demonstrate the stability of these protein tunnels in solution and provide insights on the trafficking of water molecules inside the tunnels. The presence of different alternative routes across the identified tunnels for Ni(II) ions, water molecules, and carbonate ions, all involved in urease activation, is highlighted here, and their potential role in the urease activation mechanism is discussed.

Evolution of Macromolecular Docking Techniques: The Case Study of Nickel and Iron Metabolism in Pathogenic Bacteria

The interaction between macromolecules is a fundamental aspect of most biological processes. The computational techniques used to study protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions have evolved in the last few years because of the development of new algorithms that allow the a priori incorporation, in the docking process, of experimentally derived information, together with the possibility of accounting for the flexibility of the interacting molecules. Here we review the results and the evolution of the techniques used to study the interaction between metallo-proteins and DNA operators, all involved in the nickel and iron metabolism of pathogenic bacteria, focusing in particular on Helicobacter pylori (Hp). In the first part of the article we discuss the methods used to calculate the structure of complexes of proteins involved in the activation of the nickel-dependent enzyme urease. In the second part of the article, we concentrate on two applications of protein-DNA docking conducted on the transcription factors HpFur (ferric uptake regulator) and HpNikR (nickel regulator). In both cases we discuss the technical expedients used to take into account the conformational variability of the multi-domain proteins involved in the calculations.

Structure of the UreD-UreF-UreG-UreE complex in Helicobacter pylori: a model study

The molecular details of the protein complex formed by UreD, UreF, UreG, and UreE, accessory proteins for urease activation in the carcinogenic bacterium Helicobacter pylori, have been elucidated using computational modeling. The calculated structure of the complex supports the hypothesis of UreF acting as a GTPase activation protein that facilitates GTP hydrolysis by UreG during urease maturation, and provides a rationale for the design of new drugs against infections by ureolytic bacterial pathogens.

Distribution of pathogenicity islands OI-122, OI-43/48, and OI-57 and a high-pathogenicity island in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli

Pathogenicity islands (PAIs) play an important role in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) pathogenicity. The distribution of PAIs OI-122, OI-43/48, and OI-57 and a high-pathogenicity island (HPI) were determined among 98 STEC strains assigned to seropathotypes (SPTs) A to E. PCR and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assays were used to identify 14 virulence genes that belonged to the four PAIs and to subtype eae and stx genes, respectively. Phylogenetic trees were constructed based on the sequences of pagC among 34 STEC strains and iha among 67 diverse pathogenic E. coli, respectively. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the prevalences of OI-122 (55.82%) and OI-57 (82.35%) were significantly greater in SPTs (i.e., SPTs A, B, and C) that are frequently associated with severe disease than in other SPTs. terC (62.5%) and ureC (62.5%) in OI-43/48 were also significantly more prevalent in SPTs A, B, and C than in SPTs D and E. In addition, OI-122, OI-57, and OI-43/48 and their associated virulence genes (except iha) were found to be primarily associated with eae-positive STEC, whereas HPI occurred independently of the eae presence. The strong association of OI-122, OI-43/48, and OI-57 with eae-positive STEC suggests in part that different pathogenic mechanisms exist between eae-positive and eae-negative STEC strains. Virulence genes in PAIs that are associated with severe diseases can be used as potential markers to aid in identifying highly virulent STEC.

Comparative genomics and stx phage characterization of LEE-negative Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli

Infection by Escherichia coli and Shigella species are among the leading causes of death due to diarrheal disease in the world. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) that do not encode the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE-negative STEC) often possess Shiga toxin gene variants and have been isolated from humans and a variety of animal sources. In this study, we compare the genomes of nine LEE-negative STEC harboring various stx alleles with four complete reference LEE-positive STEC isolates. Compared to a representative collection of prototype E. coli and Shigella isolates representing each of the pathotypes, the whole genome phylogeny demonstrated that these isolates are diverse. Whole genome comparative analysis of the 13 genomes revealed that in addition to the absence of the LEE pathogenicity island, phage-encoded genes including non-LEE encoded effectors, were absent from all nine LEE-negative STEC genomes. Several plasmid-encoded virulence factors reportedly identified in LEE-negative STEC isolates were identified in only a subset of the nine LEE-negative isolates further confirming the diversity of this group. In combination with whole genome analysis, we characterized the lambdoid phages harboring the various stx alleles and determined their genomic insertion sites. Although the integrase gene sequence corresponded with genomic location, it was not correlated with stx variant, further highlighting the mosaic nature of these phages. The transcription of these phages in different genomic backgrounds was examined. Expression of the Shiga toxin genes, stx(1) and/or stx(2), as well as the Q genes, were examined with quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays. A wide range of basal and induced toxin induction was observed. Overall, this is a first significant foray into the genome space of this unexplored group of emerging and divergent pathogens.

Contribution of urease to colonization by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a food-borne pathogen with a low infectious dose that colonizes the colon in humans and can cause severe clinical manifestations such as hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The urease enzyme, encoded in the STEC chromosome, has been demonstrated to act as a virulence factor in other bacterial pathogens. The NH(3) produced as urease hydrolyzes urea can aid in buffering bacteria in acidic environments as well as provide an easily assimilated source of nitrogen that bacteria can use to gain a metabolic advantage over intact microflora. Here, we explore the role of urease in STEC pathogenicity. The STEC urease enzyme exhibited maximum activity near neutral pH and during the stationary-growth phase. Experiments altering growth conditions performed with three phylogenetically distinct urease-positive strains demonstrated that the STEC ure gene cluster is inducible by neither urea nor pH but does respond to nitrogen availability. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) data indicate that nitrogen inhibits the transcriptional response. The deletion of the ure gene locus was constructed in STEC strain 88-0643, and the ure mutant was used with the wild-type strain in competition experiments in mouse models to examine the contribution of urease. The wild-type strain was twice as likely to survive passage through the acidic stomach and demonstrated an enhanced ability to colonize the intestinal tract compared to the ure mutant strain. These in vivo experiments reveal that, although the benefit STEC gains from urease expression is modest and not absolutely required for colonization, urease can contribute to the pathogenicity of STEC.