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Dai Y, Liu R, Yue Y, Song N, Jia H, Ma Z, Gao X, Zhang M, Yuan X, Liu Q, Liu X, Li B, Wang W. A c-di-GMP binding effector STM0435 modulates flagellar motility and pathogenicity in Salmonella. Virulence 2024; 15:2331265. [PMID: 38532247 PMCID: PMC10978029 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2331265] [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: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Flagella play a crucial role in the invasion process of Salmonella and function as a significant antigen that triggers host pyroptosis. Regulation of flagellar biogenesis is essential for both pathogenicity and immune escape of Salmonella. We identified the conserved and unknown function protein STM0435 as a new flagellar regulator. The ∆stm0435 strain exhibited higher pathogenicity in both cellular and animal infection experiments than the wild-type Salmonella. Proteomic and transcriptomic analyses demonstrated dramatic increases in almost all flagellar genes in the ∆stm0435 strain compared to wild-type Salmonella. In a surface plasmon resonance assay, purified STM0435 protein-bound c-di-GMP had an affinity of ~8.383 µM. The crystal structures of apo-STM0435 and STM0435&c-di-GMP complex were determined. Structural analysis revealed that R33, R137, and D138 of STM0435 were essential for c-di-GMP binding. A Salmonella with STM1987 (GGDEF protein) or STM4264 (EAL protein) overexpression exhibits completely different motility behaviours, indicating that the binding of c-di-GMP to STM0435 promotes its inhibitory effect on Salmonella flagellar biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanji Dai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Ruirui Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yingying Yue
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Nannan Song
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Haihong Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Zhongrui Ma
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Xueyan Gao
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Xilu Yuan
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Qing Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Bingqing Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Lab for Biotech-Drugs of National Health Commission, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Key Lab for Rare & Uncommon Diseases of Shandong Province, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Weiwei Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
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Han S, Byun JW, Lee M. Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Flagellar-Associated Genes in Salmonella Typhimurium and Its rnc Mutant. J Microbiol 2024; 62:33-48. [PMID: 38182942 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-023-00099-5] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a globally recognized foodborne pathogen that affects both animals and humans. Endoribonucleases mediate RNA processing and degradation in the adaptation of bacteria to environmental changes and have been linked to the pathogenicity of S. Typhimurium. Not much is known about the specific regulatory mechanisms of these enzymes in S. Typhimurium, particularly in the context of environmental adaptation. Thus, this study carried out a comparative transcriptomic analysis of wild-type S. Typhimurium SL1344 and its mutant (∆rnc), which lacks the rnc gene encoding RNase III, thereby elucidating the detailed regulatory characteristics that can be attributed to the rnc gene. Global gene expression analysis revealed that the ∆rnc strain exhibited 410 upregulated and 301 downregulated genes (fold-change > 1.5 and p < 0.05), as compared to the wild-type strain. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis indicated that these differentially expressed genes are involved in various physiological functions, in both the wild-type and ∆rnc strains. This study provides evidence for the critical role of RNase III as a general positive regulator of flagellar-associated genes and its involvement in the pathogenicity of S. Typhimurium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungmok Han
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, 24252, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Won Byun
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, 24252, Republic of Korea
| | - Minho Lee
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, 24252, Republic of Korea.
- Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, 24252, Republic of Korea.
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3
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Pokorzynski ND, Groisman EA. How Bacterial Pathogens Coordinate Appetite with Virulence. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2023; 87:e0019822. [PMID: 37358444 PMCID: PMC10521370 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00198-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells adjust growth and metabolism to nutrient availability. Having access to a variety of carbon sources during infection of their animal hosts, facultative intracellular pathogens must efficiently prioritize carbon utilization. Here, we discuss how carbon source controls bacterial virulence, with an emphasis on Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, which causes gastroenteritis in immunocompetent humans and a typhoid-like disease in mice, and propose that virulence factors can regulate carbon source prioritization by modifying cellular physiology. On the one hand, bacterial regulators of carbon metabolism control virulence programs, indicating that pathogenic traits appear in response to carbon source availability. On the other hand, signals controlling virulence regulators may impact carbon source utilization, suggesting that stimuli that bacterial pathogens experience within the host can directly impinge on carbon source prioritization. In addition, pathogen-triggered intestinal inflammation can disrupt the gut microbiota and thus the availability of carbon sources. By coordinating virulence factors with carbon utilization determinants, pathogens adopt metabolic pathways that may not be the most energy efficient because such pathways promote resistance to antimicrobial agents and also because host-imposed deprivation of specific nutrients may hinder the operation of certain pathways. We propose that metabolic prioritization by bacteria underlies the pathogenic outcome of an infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick D. Pokorzynski
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Eduardo A. Groisman
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale Microbial Sciences Institute, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Saleh DO, Horstmann JA, Giralt-Zúñiga M, Weber W, Kaganovitch E, Durairaj AC, Klotzsch E, Strowig T, Erhardt M. SPI-1 virulence gene expression modulates motility of Salmonella Typhimurium in a proton motive force- and adhesins-dependent manner. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011451. [PMID: 37315106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Both the bacterial flagellum and the evolutionary related injectisome encoded on the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) play crucial roles during the infection cycle of Salmonella species. The interplay of both is highlighted by the complex cross-regulation that includes transcriptional control of the flagellar master regulatory operon flhDC by HilD, the master regulator of SPI-1 gene expression. Contrary to the HilD-dependent activation of flagellar gene expression, we report here that activation of HilD resulted in a dramatic loss of motility, which was dependent on the presence of SPI-1. Single cell analyses revealed that HilD-activation triggers a SPI-1-dependent induction of the stringent response and a substantial decrease in proton motive force (PMF), while flagellation remains unaffected. We further found that HilD activation enhances the adhesion of Salmonella to epithelial cells. A transcriptome analysis revealed a simultaneous upregulation of several adhesin systems, which, when overproduced, phenocopied the HilD-induced motility defect. We propose a model where the SPI-1-dependent depletion of the PMF and the upregulation of adhesins upon HilD-activation enable flagellated Salmonella to rapidly modulate their motility during infection, thereby enabling efficient adhesion to host cells and delivery of effector proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doaa Osama Saleh
- Institute for Biology/Molecular Microbiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Julia A Horstmann
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - María Giralt-Zúñiga
- Institute for Biology/Molecular Microbiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Willi Weber
- Institute for Biology, Experimental Biophysics/Mechanobiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eugen Kaganovitch
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Abilash Chakravarthy Durairaj
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Department of Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Enrico Klotzsch
- Institute for Biology, Experimental Biophysics/Mechanobiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Till Strowig
- Department of Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Marc Erhardt
- Institute for Biology/Molecular Microbiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany
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The RNA-Binding Protein ProQ Promotes Antibiotic Persistence in Salmonella. mBio 2022; 13:e0289122. [PMID: 36409088 PMCID: PMC9765298 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02891-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial populations can survive exposure to antibiotics through transient phenotypic and gene expression changes. These changes can be attributed to a small subpopulation of bacteria, giving rise to antibiotic persistence. Although this phenomenon has been known for decades, much remains to be learned about the mechanisms that drive persister formation. The RNA-binding protein ProQ has recently emerged as a global regulator of gene expression. Here, we show that ProQ impacts persister formation in Salmonella. In vitro, ProQ contributes to growth arrest in a subset of cells that are able to survive treatment at high concentrations of different antibiotics. The underlying mechanism for ProQ-dependent persister formation involves the activation of metabolically costly processes, including the flagellar pathway and the type III protein secretion system encoded on Salmonella pathogenicity island 2. Importantly, we show that the ProQ-dependent phenotype is relevant during macrophage infection and allows Salmonella to survive the combined action of host immune defenses and antibiotics. Together, our data highlight the importance of ProQ in Salmonella persistence and pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE Bacteria can avoid eradication by antibiotics through a phenomenon known as persistence. Persister cells arise through phenotypic heterogeneity and constitute a small fraction of dormant cells within a population of actively growing bacteria, which is susceptible to antibiotic killing. In this study, we show that ProQ, an RNA-binding protein and global regulator of gene expression, promotes persisters in the human pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Bacteria lacking the proQ gene outcompete wild-type bacteria under laboratory conditions, are less prone to enter growth dormancy, and form fewer persister cells. The basis for these phenotypes lies in ProQ's ability to activate energy-consuming cellular processes, including flagellar motility and protein secretion. Importantly, we show that ProQ contributes to the persister phenotype during Salmonella infection of macrophages, indicating an important role of this global regulator in Salmonella pathogenesis.
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Wang W, Yue Y, Zhang M, Song N, Jia H, Dai Y, Zhang F, Li C, Li B. Host acid signal controls Salmonella flagella biogenesis through CadC-YdiV axis. Gut Microbes 2022; 14:2146979. [PMID: 36456534 PMCID: PMC9728131 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2022.2146979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon entering host cells, Salmonella quickly turns off flagella biogenesis to avoid recognition by the host immune system. However, it is not clear which host signal(s) Salmonella senses to initiate flagellum control. Here, we demonstrate that the acid signal can suppress flagella synthesis and motility of Salmonella, and this occurs after the transcription of master flagellar gene flhDC and depends on the anti-FlhDC factor YdiV. YdiV expression is activated after acid treatment. A global screen with ydiV promoter DNA and total protein from acid-treated Salmonella revealed a novel regulator of YdiV, the acid-related transcription factor CadC. Further studies showed that CadCC, the DNA binding domain of CadC, directly binds to a 33 nt region of the ydiV promoter with a 0.2 μM KD affinity. Furthermore, CadC could separate H-NS-ydiV promoter DNA complex to form CadC-DNA complex at a low concentration. Structural simulation and mutagenesis assays revealed that H43 and W106 of CadC are essential for ydiV promoter binding. No acid-induced flagellum control phenotype was observed in cadC mutant or ydiV mutant strains, suggesting that flagellum control during acid adaption is dependent on CadC and YdiV. The intracellular survival ability of cadC mutant strain decreased significantly compared with WT strain while the flagellin expression could not be effectively controlled in the cadC mutant strain when surviving within host cells. Together, our results demonstrated that acid stress acts as an important host signal to trigger Salmonella flagellum control through the CadC-YdiV-FlhDC axis, allowing Salmonella to sense a hostile environment and regulate flagellar synthesis during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China,Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Yingying Yue
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China,Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Nannan Song
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China,Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Haihong Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China,Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Yuanji Dai
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Fengyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Cuiling Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China,Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Bingqing Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China,Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China,Shandong First Medical University, Key Lab for Biotech-Drugs of National Health Commission, Jinan, China,KeyLaboratory for Rare & Uncommon Diseases of Shandong Province, Jinan, China,CONTACT Bingqing Li Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan250021Shandong, China
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7
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Elpers L, Deiwick J, Hensel M. Effect of Environmental Temperatures on Proteome Composition of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium. Mol Cell Proteomics 2022; 21:100265. [PMID: 35788066 PMCID: PMC9396072 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2022.100265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STM) is a major cause of gastroenteritis and transmitted by consumption of contaminated food. STM is associated to food originating from animals (pork, chicken, eggs) or plants (vegetables, fruits, nuts, and herbs). Infection of warm-blooded mammalian hosts by STM and the underlying complex regulatory network of virulence gene expression depend on various environmental conditions encountered in hosts. However, less is known about the proteome and possible regulatory networks for gene expression of STM outside the preferred host. Nutritional limitations and changes in temperature are the most obvious stresses outside the native host. Thus, we analyzed the proteome profile of STM grown in rich medium (LB medium) or minimal medium (PCN medium) at temperatures ranging from 8 °C to 37 °C. LB medium mimics the nutritional rich environment inside the host, whereas minimal PCN medium represents nutritional limitations outside the host, found during growth of fresh produce (field conditions). Further, the range of temperatures analyzed reflects conditions within natural hosts (37 °C), room temperature (20 °C), during growth under agricultural conditions (16 °C and 12 °C), and during food storage (8 °C). Implications of altered nutrient availability and growth temperature on STM proteomes were analyzed by HPLC/MS-MS and label-free quantification. Our study provides first insights into the complex adaptation of STM to various environmental temperatures, which allows STM not only to infect mammalian hosts but also to enter new infection routes that have been poorly studied so far. With the present dataset, global virulence factors, their impact on infection routes, and potential anti-infective strategies can now be investigated in detail. Especially, we were able to demonstrate functional flagella at 12 °C growth temperature for STM with an altered motility behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Elpers
- Abt. Mikrobiologie, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Jörg Deiwick
- Abt. Mikrobiologie, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Michael Hensel
- Abt. Mikrobiologie, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany; CellNanOs - Center of Cellular Nanoanalytics Osnabrück, School of Biology/Chemistry, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany.
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Switching off Bacterial Flagellar Biogenesis by YdiU-Mediated UMPylation of FlhDC. mBio 2022; 13:e0024922. [PMID: 35532215 PMCID: PMC9239255 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00249-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial flagellin activates the host immune system and triggers pyroptosis. Salmonella reduces flagellin expression when it survives within host cells. Here, we found that the UMPylator YdiU significantly altered the Salmonella flagellar biogenesis process upon host cell entry. The expression levels of class II and class III flagellar genes, but not the class I flagellar genes flhDC, were dramatically increased in a ΔydiU strain compared to wild-type (WT) Salmonella in a host-simulating environment. A direct interaction between YdiU and FlhDC was detected by bacterial two-hybrid assay. Furthermore, YdiU efficiently catalyzed the UMPylation of FlhC but not FlhD, FliA, or FliC. UMPylation of FlhC completely eliminated its DNA-binding activity. In vivo experiments showed that YdiU was required and sufficient for Salmonella flagellar control within host cells. Mice infected with the ΔydiU strain died much earlier than WT strain-infected mice and developed much more severe inflammation and injury in organs and much higher levels of cytokines in blood, demonstrating that early host death induced by the ΔydiU strain is probably due to excessive inflammation. Our results indicate that YdiU acts as an essential factor of Salmonella to mediate host immune escape.
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9
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Wang W, Yue Y, Zhang M, Song N, Jia H, Dai Y, Zhang F, Li C, Li B. Host acid signal controls Salmonella flagella biogenesis through CadC-YdiV axis. Gut Microbes 2022. [PMID: 36456534 DOI: 10.1080/194909762125747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Upon entering host cells, Salmonella quickly turns off flagella biogenesis to avoid recognition by the host immune system. However, it is not clear which host signal(s) Salmonella senses to initiate flagellum control. Here, we demonstrate that the acid signal can suppress flagella synthesis and motility of Salmonella, and this occurs after the transcription of master flagellar gene flhDC and depends on the anti-FlhDC factor YdiV. YdiV expression is activated after acid treatment. A global screen with ydiV promoter DNA and total protein from acid-treated Salmonella revealed a novel regulator of YdiV, the acid-related transcription factor CadC. Further studies showed that CadCC, the DNA binding domain of CadC, directly binds to a 33 nt region of the ydiV promoter with a 0.2 μM KD affinity. Furthermore, CadC could separate H-NS-ydiV promoter DNA complex to form CadC-DNA complex at a low concentration. Structural simulation and mutagenesis assays revealed that H43 and W106 of CadC are essential for ydiV promoter binding. No acid-induced flagellum control phenotype was observed in cadC mutant or ydiV mutant strains, suggesting that flagellum control during acid adaption is dependent on CadC and YdiV. The intracellular survival ability of cadC mutant strain decreased significantly compared with WT strain while the flagellin expression could not be effectively controlled in the cadC mutant strain when surviving within host cells. Together, our results demonstrated that acid stress acts as an important host signal to trigger Salmonella flagellum control through the CadC-YdiV-FlhDC axis, allowing Salmonella to sense a hostile environment and regulate flagellar synthesis during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Yingying Yue
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Nannan Song
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Haihong Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Yuanji Dai
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Fengyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Cuiling Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Bingqing Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
- Shandong First Medical University, Key Lab for Biotech-Drugs of National Health Commission, Jinan, China
- KeyLaboratory for Rare & Uncommon Diseases of Shandong Province, Jinan, China
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10
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Multiple Copies of flhDC in Paraburkholderia unamae Regulate Flagellar Gene Expression, Motility, and Biofilm Formation. J Bacteriol 2021; 203:e0029321. [PMID: 34543106 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00293-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
FlhDC is a heterohexameric complex that acts as a master regulator of flagellar biosynthesis genes in numerous bacteria. Previous studies have identified a single flhDC operon encoding this complex. However, we found that two flhDC loci are present throughout Paraburkholderia, and two additional flhC copies are also present in Paraburkholderia unamae. Systematic deletion analysis in P. unamae of the different flhDC copies showed that one of the operons, flhDC1, plays the predominant role, with deletion of its genes resulting in a severe inhibition of motility and biofilm formation. Expression analysis using promoter-lacZ fusions and real-time quantitative PCR support the primary role of flhDC1 in flagellar gene regulation, with flhDC2 a secondary contributor. Phylogenetic analysis shows the presence of the flhDC1 and flhDC2 operons throughout Paraburkholderia. In contrast, Burkholderia and other bacteria only carry the copy syntenous with flhDC2. The variations in impact each copy of flhDC has on downstream processes indicate that regulation of FlhDC in P. unamae, and likely other Paraburkholderia species, is regulated at least in part by the presence of multiple copies of these genes. IMPORTANCE Motility is important in the colonization of plant roots by beneficial and pathogenic bacteria, with flagella playing essential roles in host cell adhesion, entrance, and biofilm formation. Flagellar biosynthesis is energetically expensive. Its complex regulation by the FlhDC master regulator is well studied in peritrichous flagella expressing enterics. We report the unique presence throughout Paraburkholderia of multiple copies of flhDC. In P. unamae, the flhDC1 copy showed higher expression and a greater effect on swim motility, flagellar development, and regulation of downstream genes, than the flhDC2 copy that is syntenous to flhDC in Escherichia coli and pathogenic Burkholderia spp. The flhDC genes have evolved differently in these plant-growth-promoting bacteria, giving an additional layer of complexity in gene regulation by FlhDC.
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Abstract
Regulation of flagellum biosynthesis is a hierarchical process that is tightly controlled to allow for efficient tuning of flagellar expression. Flagellum-mediated motility directs Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium toward the epithelial surface to enhance gut colonization, but flagella are potent activators of innate immune signaling, so fine-tuning flagellar expression is necessary for immune avoidance. In this work, we evaluate the role of the LysR transcriptional regulator YeiE in regulating flagellum-mediated motility. We show that yeiE is necessary and sufficient for swimming motility. A ΔyeiE mutant is defective for gut colonization in both the calf ligated ileal loop model and the murine colitis model due to its lack of motility. Expression of flagellar class 2 and 3 but not class 1 genes is reduced in the ΔyeiE mutant. We linked the motility dysregulation of the ΔyeiE mutant to repression of the anti-FlhD4C2 factor STM1697. Together, our results indicate that YeiE promotes virulence by enhancing cell motility, thereby providing a new regulatory control point for flagellar expression in Salmonella Typhimurium.
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12
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Thomson NM, Pallen MJ. Restoration of wild-type motility to flagellin-knockout Escherichia coli by varying promoter, copy number and induction strength in plasmid-based expression of flagellin. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 2:45-52. [PMID: 33381753 PMCID: PMC7758877 DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2020.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Flagellin is the major constituent of the flagellar filament and faithful restoration of wild-type motility to flagellin mutants may be beneficial for studies of flagellar biology and biotechnological exploitation of the flagellar system. However, gene complementation studies often fail to report whether true wild-type motility was restored by expressing flagellin from a plasmid. Therefore, we explored the restoration of motility by flagellin expressed from a variety of combinations of promoter, plasmid copy number and induction strength. Motility was only partially (~50%) restored using the tightly regulated rhamnose promoter due to weak flagellin gene expression, but wild-type motility was regained with the T5 promoter, which, although leaky, allowed titration of induction strength. The endogenous E. coli flagellin promoter also restored wild-type motility. However, flagellin gene transcription levels increased 3.1–27.9-fold when wild-type motility was restored, indicating disturbances in the flagellar regulatory mechanisms. Motility was little affected by plasmid copy number when dependent on inducible promoters. However, plasmid copy number was important when expression was controlled by the native E. coli flagellin promoter. Motility was poorly correlated with flagellin transcription levels, but strongly correlated with the amount of flagellin associated with the flagellar filament, suggesting that excess monomers are either not exported or not assembled into filaments. This study provides a useful reference for further studies of flagellar function and a simple blueprint for similar studies with other proteins. Restoration of motility to flagellin-knockout E. coli depends on choice of promoter. Plasmid copy number is important when using the natural flagellin promoter. For inducible promoters, induction strength is more important than copy number. Large increase in flagellin transcription but not flagella-associated protein. Plasmid-based expression interrupts flagellin expression control mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Thomson
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UQ, United Kingdom
| | - Mark J Pallen
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UQ, United Kingdom
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Novel Role of VisP and the Wzz System during O-Antigen Assembly in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Pathogenesis. Infect Immun 2018; 86:IAI.00319-18. [PMID: 29866904 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00319-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Salmonella enterica serovars are associated with diarrhea and gastroenteritis and are a helpful model for understanding host-pathogen mechanisms. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium regulates the distribution of O antigen (OAg) and presents a trimodal distribution based on Wzy polymerase and the WzzST (long-chain-length OAg [L-OAg]) and WzzfepE (very-long-chain-length OAg [VL-OAg]) copolymerases; however, several mechanisms regulating this process remain unclear. Here, we report that LPS modifications modulate the infectious process and that OAg chain length determination plays an essential role during infection. An increase in VL-OAg is dependent on Wzy polymerase, which is promoted by a growth condition resembling the environment of Salmonella-containing vacuoles (SCVs). The virulence- and stress-related periplasmic protein (VisP) participates in OAg synthesis, as a ΔvisP mutant presents a semirough OAg phenotype. The ΔvisP mutant has greatly decreased motility and J774 macrophage survival in a colitis model of infection. Interestingly, the phenotype is restored after mutation of the wzzST or wzzfepE gene in a ΔvisP background. Loss of both the visP and wzzST genes promotes an imbalance in flagellin secretion. L-OAg may function as a shield against host immune systems in the beginning of an infectious process, and VL-OAg protects bacteria during SCV maturation and facilitates intramacrophage replication. Taken together, these data highlight the roles of OAg length in generating phenotypes during S Typhimurium pathogenesis and show the periplasmic protein VisP as a novel protein in the OAg biosynthesis pathway.
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14
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Das C, Mokashi C, Mande SS, Saini S. Dynamics and Control of Flagella Assembly in Salmonella typhimurium. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:36. [PMID: 29473025 PMCID: PMC5809477 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The food-borne pathogen Salmonella typhimurium is a common cause of infections and diseases in a wide range of hosts. One of the major virulence factors associated to the infection process is flagella, which helps the bacterium swim to its preferred site of infection inside the host, the M-cells (Microfold cells) lining the lumen of the small intestine. The expression of flagellar genes is controlled by an intricate regulatory network. In this work, we investigate two aspects of flagella regulation and assembly: (a) distribution of the number of flagella in an isogenic population of bacteria and (b) dynamics of gene expression post cell division. More precisely, in a population of bacteria, we note a normal distribution of number of flagella assembled per cell. How is this distribution controlled, and what are the key regulators in the network which help the cell achieve this? In the second question, we explore the role of protein secretion in dictating gene expression dynamics post cell-division (when the number of hook basal bodies on the cell surface is reduced by a factor of two). We develop a mathematical model and perform stochastic simulations to address these questions. Simulations of the model predict that two accessory regulators of flagella gene expression, FliZ and FliT, have significant roles in maintaining population level distribution of flagella. In addition, FliT and FlgM were predicted to control the level and temporal order of flagellar gene expression when the cell adapts to post cell division consequences. Further, the model predicts that, the FliZ and FliT dependent feedback loops function under certain thresholds, alterations in which can substantially affect kinetics of flagellar genes. Thus, based on our results we propose that, the proteins FlgM, FliZ, and FliT, thought to have accessory roles in regulation of flagella, likely play a critical role controlling gene expression during cell division, and frequency distribution of flagella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrani Das
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India.,Bio-Sciences R&D Division, TCS Research, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, Pune, India
| | - Chaitanya Mokashi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Sharmila S Mande
- Bio-Sciences R&D Division, TCS Research, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, Pune, India
| | - Supreet Saini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
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15
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Ishihama A. Building a complete image of genome regulation in the model organism Escherichia coli. J GEN APPL MICROBIOL 2017; 63:311-324. [PMID: 28904250 DOI: 10.2323/jgam.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The model organism, Escherichia coli, contains a total of more than 4,500 genes, but the total number of RNA polymerase (RNAP) core enzyme or the transcriptase is only about 2,000 molecules per genome. The regulatory targets of RNAP are, however, modulated by changing its promoter selectivity through two-steps of protein-protein interplay with 7 species of the sigma factor in the first step, and then 300 species of the transcription factor (TF) in the second step. Scientists working in the field of prokaryotic transcription in Japan have made considerable contributions to the elucidation of genetic frameworks and regulatory modes of the genome transcription in E. coli K-12. This review summarizes the findings by this group, first focusing on three sigma factors, the stationary-phase sigma RpoS, the heat-shock sigma RpoH, and the flagellar-chemotaxis sigma RpoF, as examples. It also presents an overview of the current state of the systematic research being carried out to identify the regulatory functions of all TFs from a single and the same bacterium E. coli K-12, using the genomic SELEX and PS-TF screening systems. All these studies have been undertaken with the aim of understanding the genome regulation in E. coli K-12 as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Ishihama
- Research Institute of Micro-Nano Technology, Hosei University
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16
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Kühne C, Singer HM, Grabisch E, Codutti L, Carlomagno T, Scrima A, Erhardt M. RflM mediates target specificity of the RcsCDB phosphorelay system for transcriptional repression of flagellar synthesis in Salmonella enterica. Mol Microbiol 2016; 101:841-55. [PMID: 27206164 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial flagellum enables directed movement of Salmonella enterica towards favorable conditions in liquid environments. Regulation of flagellar synthesis is tightly controlled by various environmental signals at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. The flagellar master regulator FlhD4 C2 resides on top of the flagellar transcriptional hierarchy and is under autogenous control by FlhD4 C2 -dependent activation of the repressor rflM. The inhibitory activity of RflM depends on the presence of RcsB, the response regulator of the RcsCDB phosphorelay system. In this study, we elucidated the molecular mechanism of RflM-dependent repression of flhDC. We show that RcsB and RflM form a heterodimer that coordinately represses flhDC transcription independent of RcsB phosphorylation. RcsB-RflM complex binds to a RcsB box downstream the P1 transcriptional start site of the flhDC promoter with increased affinity compared to RcsB in the absence of RflM. We propose that RflM stabilizes binding of unphosphorylated RcsB to the flhDC promoter in absence of environmental cues. Thus, RflM is a novel auxiliary regulatory protein that mediates target specificity of RcsB for flhDC repression. The cooperative action of the RcsB-RflM repressor complex allows Salmonella to fine-tune initiation of flagellar gene expression and adds another level to the complex regulation of flagellar synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Kühne
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Hanna M Singer
- Microbiologie, Département de Médecine, Université de Fribourg, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Eva Grabisch
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Luca Codutti
- Centre of Biomolecular Drug Research (BMWZ), Leibniz University Hannover, 30167, Hannover, Germany
| | - Teresa Carlomagno
- Centre of Biomolecular Drug Research (BMWZ), Leibniz University Hannover, 30167, Hannover, Germany.,Group of Structural Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Andrea Scrima
- Junior Research Group Structural Biology of Autophagy, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Marc Erhardt
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
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17
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Strategies to Block Bacterial Pathogenesis by Interference with Motility and Chemotaxis. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2016; 398:185-205. [PMID: 27000091 DOI: 10.1007/82_2016_493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Infections by motile, pathogenic bacteria, such as Campylobacter species, Clostridium species, Escherichia coli, Helicobacter pylori, Listeria monocytogenes, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella species, Vibrio cholerae, and Yersinia species, represent a severe economic and health problem worldwide. Of special importance in this context is the increasing emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Due to the shortage of effective antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant, pathogenic bacteria, the targeting of novel, virulence-relevant factors constitutes a promising, alternative approach. Bacteria have evolved distinct motility structures for movement across surfaces and in aqueous environments. In this review, I will focus on the bacterial flagellum, the associated chemosensory system, and the type-IV pilus as motility devices, which are crucial for bacterial pathogens to reach a preferred site of infection, facilitate biofilm formation, and adhere to surfaces or host cells. Thus, those nanomachines constitute potential targets for the development of novel anti-infectives that are urgently needed at a time of spreading antibiotic resistance. Both bacterial flagella and type-IV pili (T4P) are intricate macromolecular complexes made of dozens of different proteins and their motility function relies on the correct spatial and temporal assembly of various substructures. Specific type-III and type-IV secretion systems power the export of substrate proteins of the bacterial flagellum and type-IV pilus, respectively, and are homologous to virulence-associated type-III and type-II secretion systems. Accordingly, bacterial flagella and T4P represent attractive targets for novel antivirulence drugs interfering with synthesis, assembly, and function of these motility structures.
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18
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Erhardt M, Dersch P. Regulatory principles governing Salmonella and Yersinia virulence. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:949. [PMID: 26441883 PMCID: PMC4563271 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteric pathogens such as Salmonella and Yersinia evolved numerous strategies to survive and proliferate in different environmental reservoirs and mammalian hosts. Deciphering common and pathogen-specific principles for how these bacteria adjust and coordinate spatiotemporal expression of virulence determinants, stress adaptation, and metabolic functions is fundamental to understand microbial pathogenesis. In order to manage sudden environmental changes, attacks by the host immune systems and microbial competition, the pathogens employ a plethora of transcriptional and post-transcriptional control elements, including transcription factors, sensory and regulatory RNAs, RNAses, and proteases, to fine-tune and control complex gene regulatory networks. Many of the contributing global regulators and the molecular mechanisms of regulation are frequently conserved between Yersinia and Salmonella. However, the interplay, arrangement, and composition of the control elements vary between these closely related enteric pathogens, which generate phenotypic differences leading to distinct pathogenic properties. In this overview we present common and different regulatory networks used by Salmonella and Yersinia to coordinate the expression of crucial motility, cell adhesion and invasion determinants, immune defense strategies, and metabolic adaptation processes. We highlight evolutionary changes of the gene regulatory circuits that result in different properties of the regulatory elements and how this influences the overall outcome of the infection process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Erhardt
- Young Investigator Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Petra Dersch
- Department of Molecular Infection Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research Braunschweig, Germany
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19
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Lessons in Fundamental Mechanisms and Diverse Adaptations from the 2015 Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction Meeting. J Bacteriol 2015. [PMID: 26195592 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00384-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In response to rapid changes in their environment, bacteria control a number of processes, including motility, cell division, biofilm formation, and virulence. Research presented in January 2015 at the biennial Bacterial Locomotion and Signal Transduction (BLAST) meeting in Tucson, AZ, illustrates the elegant complexity of the nanoarrays, nanomachines, and networks of interacting proteins that mediate such processes. Studies employing an array of biophysical, genetic, cell biology, and mathematical methods are providing an increasingly detailed understanding of the mechanisms of these systems within well-studied bacteria. Furthermore, comparisons of these processes in diverse bacterial species are providing insight into novel regulatory and functional mechanisms. This review summarizes research presented at the BLAST meeting on these fundamental mechanisms and diverse adaptations, including findings of importance for applications involving bacteria of medical or agricultural relevance.
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20
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Mathematical model of flagella gene expression dynamics in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium. SYSTEMS AND SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY 2015; 9:19-31. [PMID: 25972986 DOI: 10.1007/s11693-015-9160-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Revised: 10/11/2014] [Accepted: 01/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Flagellar assembly in Salmonella is controlled by an intricate genetic and biochemical network. This network comprises of a number of inter-connected feedback loops, which control the assembly process dynamically. Critical among these are the FliA-FlgM feedback, FliZ-mediated positive feedback, and FliT-mediated negative feedback. In this work, we develop a mathematical model to track the dynamics of flagellar gene expression in Salmonella. Analysis of our model demonstrates that the network is wired to not only control the transition of the cell from a non-flagellated to a flagellated state, but to also control dynamics of gene expression during cell division. Further, we predict that FliZ encoded in the flagellar regulon acts as a critical secretion-dependent molecular link between flagella and Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1 gene expression. Sensitivity analysis of the model demonstrates that the flagellar regulatory network architecture is extremely robust to mutations.
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21
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Abstract
Many bacteria are motile only when nutrients are scarce. In contrast, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is motile only when nutrients are plentiful, suggesting that this bacterium uses motility for purposes other than foraging, most likely for host colonization. In this study, we investigated how nutrients affect motility in S. enterica and found that they tune the fraction of motile cells. In particular, we observed coexisting populations of motile and nonmotile cells, with the distribution being determined by the concentration of nutrients in the growth medium. Interestingly, S. enterica responds not to a single nutrient but apparently to a complex mixture of them. Using a combination of experimentation and mathematical modeling, we investigated the mechanism governing this behavior and found that it results from two antagonizing regulatory proteins, FliZ and YdiV. We also found that a positive feedback loop involving the alternate sigma factor FliA is required, although its role appears solely to amplify FliZ expression. We further demonstrate that the response is bistable: that is, genetically identical cells can exhibit different phenotypes under identical growth conditions. Together, these results uncover a new facet of the regulation of the flagellar genes in S. enterica and further demonstrate how bacteria employ phenotypic diversity as a general mechanism for adapting to change in their environment. Many bacteria employ flagella for motility. These bacteria are often not constitutively motile but become so only in response to specific environmental cues. The most common is nutrient starvation. Interestingly, in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, nutrients enhance the expression of flagella, suggesting that motility is used for purposes other than foraging. In this work, we investigated how nutrients affect motility in S. enterica and found that nutrients tune the fraction of motile cells within a population. Using both experimental and mathematical analysis, we determined the mechanism governing this tunable response. We further demonstrated that the response is bistable: that is, genetically identical cells can exhibit different phenotypes under identical growth conditions. These results reveal a new facet of motility in S. enterica and demonstrate that nutrients determine not only where these bacteria swim but also the fraction of them that do so.
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22
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Analysis of factors that affect FlgM-dependent type III secretion for protein purification with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:2333-47. [PMID: 24706743 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01572-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The FlgM protein is secreted in response to flagellar hook-basal body secretion and can be used as a secretion signal to direct selected protein secretion via the flagellar type III secretion (T3S) system [H. M. Singer, M. Erhardt, A. M. Steiner, M. M. Zhang, D. Yoshikami, G. Bulaj, B. M. Olivera, and K. T. Hughes, mBio 3(3):e00115-12, 2012, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00115-12]. Conditions known to affect flagellar gene expression, FlgM stability, and flagellar T3S were tested either alone or in combination to determine their effects on levels of secreted FlgM. These conditions included mutations that affect activity of the flagellar FlhD4C2 master regulatory protein complex or the FlgM T3S chaperone σ(28), the removal of Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (Spi1), the removal of flagellar late secretion substrates that could compete with FlgM for secretion, and changes in the ionic strength of the growth medium. Conditions that enhanced FlgM secretion were combined in order to maximize levels of secreted FlgM. An optimized FlgM secretion strain was used to secrete and isolate otherwise difficult-to-produce proteins and peptides fused to the C terminus of FlgM. These include cysteine-rich, hydrophobic peptides (conotoxins δ-SVIE and MrVIA), nodule-specific, cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides (NCR), and a malaria surface antigen domain of apical membrane antigen AMA-1.
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23
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Mouslim C, Hughes KT. The effect of cell growth phase on the regulatory cross-talk between flagellar and Spi1 virulence gene expression. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1003987. [PMID: 24603858 PMCID: PMC3946378 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The flagellar regulon controls Salmonella biofilm formation, virulence gene expression and the production of the major surface antigen present on the cell surface: flagellin. At the top of a flagellar regulatory hierarchy is the master operon, flhDC, which encodes the FlhD₄C₂ transcriptional complex required for the expression of flagellar, chemotaxis and Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (Spi1) genes. Of six potential transcriptional start-sites within the flhDC promoter region, only two, P1(flhDC) and P5(flhDC), were functional in a wild-type background, while P6(flhDC) was functional in the absence of CRP. These promoters are transcribed differentially to control either flagellar or Spi1 virulent gene expression at different stages of cell growth. Transcription from P1(flhDC) initiates flagellar assembly and a negative autoregulatory loop through FlhD₄C₂-dependent transcription of the rflM gene, which encodes a repressor of flhDC transcription. Transcription from P1(flhDC) also initiates transcription of the Spi1 regulatory gene, hilD, whose product, in addition to activating Spi1 genes, also activates transcription of the flhDC P5 promoter later in the cell growth phase. The regulators of flhDC transcription (RcsB, LrhA, RflM, HilD, SlyA and RtsB) also exert their control at different stages of the cell growth phase and are also subjected to cell growth phase control. This dynamic of flhDC transcription separates the roles of FlhD₄C₂ transcriptional activation into an early cell growth phase role for flagellar production from a late cell growth phase role in virulence gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chakib Mouslim
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Kelly T. Hughes
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
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24
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The Salmonella Spi1 virulence regulatory protein HilD directly activates transcription of the flagellar master operon flhDC. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:1448-57. [PMID: 24488311 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01438-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection of intestinal epithelial cells is dependent on the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium pathogenicity island 1 (Spi1)-encoded type III injectisome system and flagellar motility. Thus, the expression of virulence and flagellar genes is subject to tight regulatory control mechanisms in order to ensure the correct spatiotemporal production of the respective gene products. In this work, we reveal a new level of cross-regulation between the Spi1 and flagellar regulatory systems. Transposon mutagenesis identified a class of mutants that prevented flhDC autorepression by overexpressing HilD. HilD, HilC, RtsA, and HilA comprise a positive regulatory circuit for the expression of the Spi1 genes. Here, we report a novel transcriptional cross talk between the Spi1 and flagellar regulons where HilD transcriptionally activates flhDC gene expression by binding to nucleotides -68 to -24 upstream from the P5 transcriptional start site. We additionally show that, in contrast to the results of a previous report, HilA does not affect flagellar gene expression. Finally, we discuss a model of the cross-regulation network between Spi1 and the flagellar system and propose a regulatory mechanism via the Spi1 master regulator HilD that would prime flagellar genes for rapid reactivation during host infection.
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25
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Heel T, Vogel GF, Lammirato A, Schneider R, Auer B. FlgM as a secretion moiety for the development of an inducible type III secretion system. PLoS One 2013; 8:e59034. [PMID: 23554966 PMCID: PMC3595227 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2012] [Accepted: 02/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation and assembly of the flagellar type III secretion system is one of the most investigated and best understood regulational cascades in molecular biology. Depending on the host organism, flagellar morphogenesis requires the interplay of more than 50 genes. Direct secretion of heterologous proteins to the supernatant is appealing due to protection against cellular proteases and simplified downstream processing. As Escherichia coli currently remains the predominant host organism used for recombinant prokaryotic protein expression, the generation of a strain that exhibits inducible flagellar secretion would be highly desirable for biotechnological applications. Here, we report the first engineered Escherichia coli mutant strain featuring flagellar morphogenesis upon addition of an external inducer. Using FlgM as a sensor for direct secretion in combination with this novel strain may represent a potent tool for significant improvements in future engineering of an inducible type III secretion for heterologous proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Heel
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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26
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Wada T, Hatamoto Y, Kutsukake K. Functional and expressional analyses of the anti-FlhD4C2 factor gene ydiV in Escherichia coli. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2012; 158:1533-1542. [PMID: 22461489 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.056036-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Although Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium have a similar flagellar regulatory system, the response of flagellar synthesis to nutrient conditions is quite different between the two: that is, in low-nutrient conditions, flagellar synthesis is inhibited in Salmonella and enhanced in E. coli. In Salmonella, this inhibition is mediated by an anti-FlhD(4)C(2) factor, YdiV, which is expressed in low-nutrient conditions and binds to FlhD(4)C(2) to inhibit the expression of the class 2 flagellar genes. The fliZ gene encodes a repressor of the ydiV gene, and thus is required for efficient flagellar gene expression in low-nutrient conditions in Salmonella. In this study, we showed that the E. coli ydiV gene encodes a protein which inhibits motility and flagellar production when expressed from a multicopy plasmid. We showed further that E. coli YdiV binds to FlhD(4)C(2) and inhibits its binding to the class 2 flagellar promoter. These results indicate that E. coli YdiV can also act as an anti-FlhD(4)C(2) factor. However, although the ydiV gene was transcribed efficiently in E. coli cells, the intracellular level of the YdiV protein was extremely low due to its inefficient translation. Consistent with this, E. coli cells did not require FliZ for efficient motility development. This indicates that, unlike in Salmonella, the FliZ-YdiV regulatory system does not work in the nutritional control of flagellar gene expression in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeo Wada
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology and Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka 3-1-1, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Yuki Hatamoto
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology and Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka 3-1-1, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Kutsukake
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology and Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka 3-1-1, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
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Takaya A, Erhardt M, Karata K, Winterberg K, Yamamoto T, Hughes KT. YdiV: a dual function protein that targets FlhDC for ClpXP-dependent degradation by promoting release of DNA-bound FlhDC complex. Mol Microbiol 2012; 83:1268-84. [PMID: 22380597 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08007.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
YdiV is an EAL-like protein that acts as a post-transcriptional, negative regulator of the flagellar master transcriptional activator complex, FlhD(4)C(2), in Salmonella enterica to couple flagellar gene expression to nutrient availability. Mutants defective in ClpXP protease no longer exhibit YdiV-dependent inhibition of FlhD(4)C(2)-dependent transcription under moderate YdiV expression conditions. ClpXP protease degrades FlhD(4)C(2), and this degradation is accelerated in the presence of YdiV. YdiV complexed with both free and DNA-bound FlhD(4)C(2); and stripped FlhD(4)C(2) from DNA. A L22H substitution in FlhD was isolated as insensitive to YdiV inhibition. The FlhD L22H substitution prevented the interaction of YdiV with free FlhD(4)C(2) and the ability of YdiV to release FlhD(4)C(2) bound to DNA. These results demonstrate that YdiV prevents FlhD(4)C(2)-dependent flagellar gene transcription and acts as a putative adaptor to target FlhD(4)C(2) for ClpXP-dependent proteolysis. Our results suggest that YdiV is an EAL-like protein that has evolved from a dicyclic-GMP phosphodiesterase into a dual-function regulatory protein that connects flagellar gene expression to nutrient starvation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Takaya
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, 260-8675 Japan
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28
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The transcript from the σ(28)-dependent promoter is translationally inert in the expression of the σ(28)-encoding gene fliA in the fliAZ operon of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:6132-41. [PMID: 21908664 DOI: 10.1128/jb.05909-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There are three classes of promoters for flagellar operons in Salmonella. Class 2 promoters are transcribed by σ(70) RNA polymerase in the presence of an essential activator, FlhD(4)C(2), and activated by an auxiliary regulator, FliZ. Class 3 promoters are transcribed by σ(28) RNA polymerase and repressed by an anti-σ(28) factor, FlgM. σ(28) (FliA) and FliZ are encoded by the fliA and fliZ genes, respectively, which together constitute an operon transcribed in this order. This operon is transcribed from both class 2 and class 3 promoters, suggesting that it should be activated by its own product, σ(28), even in the absence of FlhD(4)C(2). However, σ(28)-dependent transcription occurs in vivo only in the presence of FlhD(4)C(2), indicating that transcription from the class 2 promoter is a prerequisite to that from the class 3 promoter. In this study, we examined the effects of variously modified versions of the fliA regulatory region on transcription and translation of the fliA gene. We showed that FliA is not significantly translated from the class 3 transcript. In contrast, the 5'-terminal AU-rich sequence found in the class 2 transcript confers efficient fliA translation. Replacement of the Shine-Dalgarno sequence of the fliA gene with a better one improved fliA translation from the class 3 transcript. These results suggest that the 5'-terminal AU-rich sequence of the class 2 transcript may assist ribosome binding. FliZ was shown to be expressed from both the class 2 and class 3 transcripts.
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Gilbreath JJ, Cody WL, Merrell DS, Hendrixson DR. Change is good: variations in common biological mechanisms in the epsilonproteobacterial genera Campylobacter and Helicobacter. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2011; 75:84-132. [PMID: 21372321 PMCID: PMC3063351 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00035-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial evolution and subsequent species diversification enable bacterial organisms to perform common biological processes by a variety of means. The epsilonproteobacteria are a diverse class of prokaryotes that thrive in diverse habitats. Many of these environmental niches are labeled as extreme, whereas other niches include various sites within human, animal, and insect hosts. Some epsilonproteobacteria, such as Campylobacter jejuni and Helicobacter pylori, are common pathogens of humans that inhabit specific regions of the gastrointestinal tract. As such, the biological processes of pathogenic Campylobacter and Helicobacter spp. are often modeled after those of common enteric pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli. While many exquisite biological mechanisms involving biochemical processes, genetic regulatory pathways, and pathogenesis of disease have been elucidated from studies of Salmonella spp. and E. coli, these paradigms often do not apply to the same processes in the epsilonproteobacteria. Instead, these bacteria often display extensive variation in common biological mechanisms relative to those of other prototypical bacteria. In this review, five biological processes of commonly studied model bacterial species are compared to those of the epsilonproteobacteria C. jejuni and H. pylori. Distinct differences in the processes of flagellar biosynthesis, DNA uptake and recombination, iron homeostasis, interaction with epithelial cells, and protein glycosylation are highlighted. Collectively, these studies support a broader view of the vast repertoire of biological mechanisms employed by bacteria and suggest that future studies of the epsilonproteobacteria will continue to provide novel and interesting information regarding prokaryotic cellular biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J. Gilbreath
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390
| | - William L. Cody
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390
| | - D. Scott Merrell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390
| | - David R. Hendrixson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390
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EAL domain protein YdiV acts as an anti-FlhD4C2 factor responsible for nutritional control of the flagellar regulon in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:1600-11. [PMID: 21278297 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01494-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Flagellar operons are divided into three classes with respect to their transcriptional hierarchy in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The class 1 gene products FlhD and FlhC act together in an FlhD(4)C(2) heterohexamer, which binds upstream of the class 2 promoters to facilitate binding of RNA polymerase. In this study, we showed that flagellar expression was much reduced in the cells grown in poor medium compared to those grown in rich medium. This nutritional control was shown to be executed at a step after class 1 transcription. We isolated five Tn5 insertion mutants in which the class 2 expression was derepressed in poor medium. These insertions were located in the ydiV (cdgR) gene or a gene just upstream of ydiV. The ydiV gene is known to encode an EAL domain protein and to act as a negative regulator of flagellar expression. Gene disruption and complementation analyses revealed that the ydiV gene is responsible for nutritional control. Expression analysis of the ydiV gene showed that its translation, but not transcription, was enhanced by growth in poor medium. The ydiV mutation did not have a significant effect on either the steady-state level of flhDC mRNA or that of FlhC protein. Purified YdiV protein was shown in vitro to bind to FlhD(4)C(2) through interaction with FlhD subunit and to inhibit its binding to the class 2 promoter, resulting in inhibition of FlhD(4)C(2)-dependent transcription. Taking these data together, we conclude that YdiV is a novel anti-FlhD(4)C(2) factor responsible for nutritional control of the flagellar regulon.
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Radtke AL, Wilson JW, Sarker S, Nickerson CA. Analysis of interactions of Salmonella type three secretion mutants with 3-D intestinal epithelial cells. PLoS One 2010; 5:e15750. [PMID: 21206750 PMCID: PMC3012082 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2010] [Accepted: 11/28/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevailing paradigm of Salmonella enteropathogenesis based on monolayers asserts that Salmonella pathogenicity island-1 Type Three Secretion System (SPI-1 T3SS) is required for bacterial invasion into intestinal epithelium. However, little is known about the role of SPI-1 in mediating gastrointestinal disease in humans. Recently, SPI-1 deficient nontyphoidal Salmonella strains were isolated from infected humans and animals, indicating that SPI-1 is not required to cause enteropathogenesis and demonstrating the need for more in vivo-like models. Here, we utilized a previously characterized 3-D organotypic model of human intestinal epithelium to elucidate the role of all characterized Salmonella enterica T3SSs. Similar to in vivo reports, the Salmonella SPI-1 T3SS was not required to invade 3-D intestinal cells. Additionally, Salmonella strains carrying single (SPI-1 or SPI-2), double (SPI-1/2) and complete T3SS knockout (SPI-1/SPI-2: flhDC) also invaded 3-D intestinal cells to wildtype levels. Invasion of wildtype and TTSS mutants was a Salmonella active process, whereas non-invasive bacterial strains, bacterial size beads, and heat-killed Salmonella did not invade 3-D cells. Wildtype and T3SS mutants did not preferentially target different cell types identified within the 3-D intestinal aggregates, including M-cells/M-like cells, enterocytes, or Paneth cells. Moreover, each T3SS was necessary for substantial intracellular bacterial replication within 3-D cells. Collectively, these results indicate that T3SSs are dispensable for Salmonella invasion into highly differentiated 3-D models of human intestinal epithelial cells, but are required for intracellular bacterial growth, paralleling in vivo infection observations and demonstrating the utility of these models in predicting in vivo-like pathogenic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L. Radtke
- School of Life Sciences, Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - James W. Wilson
- School of Life Sciences, Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Shameema Sarker
- School of Life Sciences, Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Cheryl A. Nickerson
- School of Life Sciences, Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Saini S, Floess E, Aldridge C, Brown J, Aldridge PD, Rao CV. Continuous control of flagellar gene expression by the σ28-FlgM regulatory circuit in Salmonella enterica. Mol Microbiol 2010; 79:264-78. [PMID: 21166907 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07444.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The flagellar genes in Salmonella enterica are expressed in a temporal hierarchy that mirrors the assembly process itself. The σ(28)-FlgM regulatory circuit plays a key role in controlling this temporal hierarchy. This circuit ensures that the class 3 genes are expressed only when the hook-basal body (HBB), a key intermediate in flagellar assembly, is complete. In this work, we investigated the role of the σ(28)-FlgM regulatory circuit in controlling the timing and magnitude of class 3 gene expression using a combination of mathematical modelling and experimental analysis. Analysis of the model predicted that this circuit continuously controls class 3 gene expression in response to HBB abundance. We experimentally validated these predictions by eliminating different components of the σ(28)-FlgM regulatory system and also by rewiring the transcriptional hierarchy. Based on these results, we conclude that the σ(28)-FlgM regulatory circuit continuously senses the HBB assembly process and regulates class 3 gene expression and possibly flagellar numbers in response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supreet Saini
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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QseC mediates Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium virulence in vitro and in vivo. Infect Immun 2009; 78:914-26. [PMID: 20028809 DOI: 10.1128/iai.01038-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The autoinducer-3 (AI-3)/epinephrine (Epi)/norepinephrine (NE) interkingdom signaling system mediates chemical communication between bacteria and their mammalian hosts. The three signals are sensed by the QseC histidine kinase (HK) sensor. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a pathogen that uses HKs to sense its environment and regulate virulence. Salmonella serovar Typhimurium invades epithelial cells and survives within macrophages. Invasion of epithelial cells is mediated by the type III secretion system (T3SS) encoded in Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1), while macrophage survival and systemic disease are mediated by the T3SS encoded in SPI-2. Here we show that QseC plays an important role in Salmonella serovar Typhimurium pathogenicity. A qseC mutant was impaired in flagellar motility, in invasion of epithelial cells, and in survival within macrophages and was attenuated for systemic infection in 129x1/SvJ mice. QseC acts globally, regulating expression of genes within SPI-1 and SPI-2 in vitro and in vivo (during infection of mice). Additionally, dopamine beta-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh(-)(/)(-)) mice that do not produce Epi or NE showed different susceptibility to Salmonella serovar Typhimurium infection than wild-type mice. These data suggest that the AI-3/Epi/NE signaling system is a key factor during Salmonella serovar Typhimurium pathogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Elucidation of the role of this interkingdom signaling system in Salmonella serovar Typhimurium should contribute to a better understanding of the complex interplay between the pathogen and the host during infection.
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Erhardt M, Hughes KT. C-ring requirement in flagellar type III secretion is bypassed by FlhDC upregulation. Mol Microbiol 2009; 75:376-93. [PMID: 19919668 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06973.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The cytoplasmic C-ring of the flagellum consists of FliG, FliM and FliN and acts as an affinity cup to localize secretion substrates for protein translocation via the flagellar-specific type III secretion system. Random T-POP transposon mutagenesis was employed to screen for insertion mutants that allowed flagellar type III secretion in the absence of the C-ring using the flagellar type III secretion system-specific hook-beta-lactamase reporter (Lee and Hughes, 2006). Any condition resulting in at least a twofold increase in flhDC expression was sufficient to overcome the requirement for the C-ring and the ATPase complex FliHIJ in flagellar type III secretion. Insertions in known and unknown flagellar regulatory loci were isolated as well as chromosomal duplications of the flhDC region. The twofold increased flhDC mRNA level coincided in a twofold increase in the number of hook-basal bodies per cell as analysed by fluorescent microscopy. These results indicate that the C-ring functions as a nonessential affinity cup-like structure during flagellar type III secretion to enhance the specificity and efficiency of the secretion process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Erhardt
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
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Lemke JJ, Durfee T, Gourse RL. DksA and ppGpp directly regulate transcription of the Escherichia coli flagellar cascade. Mol Microbiol 2009; 74:1368-79. [PMID: 19889089 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06939.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The components of the Escherichia coli flagella apparatus are synthesized in a three-level transcriptional cascade activated by the master regulator FlhDC. The cascade co-ordinates the synthesis rates of a large number of gene products with each other and with nutritional conditions. Recent genome-wide studies have reported that flagellar transcription is altered in cells lacking the transcription regulators DksA or ppGpp, but some or all reported effects could be indirect, and some are contradictory. We report here that the activities of promoters at all three levels of the cascade are much higher in strains lacking dksA, resulting in overproduction of flagellin and hyperflagellated cells. In vitro, DksA/ppGpp inhibits the flhDC promoter and the sigma(70)-dependent fliA promoter transcribing the gene for sigma(28). However, DksA and ppGpp do not affect the sigma(28)-dependent fliA promoter or the sigma(28)-dependent fliC promoter in vitro, suggesting that the dramatic effects on expression of those genes in vivo are mediated indirectly through direct effects of DksA/ppGpp on FlhDC and sigma(28) expression. We conclude that DksA/ppGpp inhibits expression of the flagellar cascade during stationary phase and following starvation, thereby co-ordinating flagella and ribosome assembly and preventing expenditure of scarce energy resources on synthesis of two of the cell's largest macromolecular complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Lemke
- Department of Bacteriology, 1550 Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Uchiya KI, Sugita A, Nikai T. Involvement of SPI-2-encoded SpiC in flagellum synthesis in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. BMC Microbiol 2009; 9:179. [PMID: 19706157 PMCID: PMC2782266 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-9-179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2009] [Accepted: 08/25/2009] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND SpiC encoded within Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 on the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium chromosome is required for survival within macrophages and systemic infection in mice. Additionally, SpiC contributes to Salmonella-induced activation of the signal transduction pathways in macrophages by affecting the expression of FliC, a component of flagella filaments. Here, we show the contribution of SpiC in flagellum synthesis. RESULTS Quantitative RT-PCR shows that the expression levels of the class 3 fliD and motA genes that encode for the flagella cap and motor torque proteins, respectively, were lower for a spiC mutant strain than for the wild-type Salmonella. Further, this mutant had lower expression levels of the class 2 genes including the fliA gene encoding the flagellar-specific alternative sigma factor. We also found differences in flagella assembly between the wild-type strain and the spiC mutant. Many flagella filaments were observed on the bacterial surface of the wild-type strain, whereas the spiC mutant had only few flagella. The absence of spiC led to reduced expression of the FlhD protein, which functions as the master regulator in flagella gene expression, although no significant difference at the transcription level of the flhDC operon was observed between the wild-type strain and the spiC mutant. CONCLUSION The data show that SpiC is involved in flagella assembly by affecting the post-transcription expression of flhDC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei-ichi Uchiya
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Tempaku-ku, Nagoya, Japan.
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T-POP array identifies EcnR and PefI-SrgD as novel regulators of flagellar gene expression. J Bacteriol 2008; 191:1498-508. [PMID: 19114490 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01177-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The T-POP transposon was employed in a general screen for tetracycline (Tet)-induced chromosomal loci that exhibited Tet-activated or Tet-repressed expression of a fliC-lac transcriptional fusion. Insertions that activated flagellar transcription were located in flagellar genes. T-POP insertions that exhibited Tet-dependent fliC-lac inhibition were isolated upstream of the ecnR, fimZ, pefI-srgD, rcsB, and ydiV genes and in the flagellar gene flgA, which is located upstream of the anti-sigma(28) factor gene flgM. When expressed from the chromosomal P(araBAD) promoter, EcnR, FimZ, PefI-SrgD, and RcsB inhibited the transcription of the flagellar class 1 flhDC operon. YdiV, which is weakly homologous to EAL domain proteins involved in cyclic-di-GMP regulation, appears to act at a step after class 1 transcription. By using a series of deletions of the regulatory genes to try to disrupt each pathway, these regulators were found to act largely independently of one another. These results identify EcnR and PefI-SrgD as additional components of the complex regulatory network controlling flagellar expression.
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León R, Espín G. flhDC, but not fleQ, regulates flagella biogenesis in Azotobacter vinelandii, and is under AlgU and CydR negative control. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2008; 154:1719-1728. [PMID: 18524926 PMCID: PMC2885672 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.2008/017665-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Azotobacter vinelandii is a nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium that undergoes differentiation to form cysts resistant to desiccation. Upon encystment, this bacterium becomes non-motile. As in enteric bacteria, motility in A. vinelandii occurs through the use of peritrichous flagella. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a phylogenetically close relative of A. vinelandii, possesses a single polar flagellum. The FlhDC proteins are the master regulators of flagella and motility in enterobacteria, whereas FleQ is the master regulator in P. aeruginosa, and it is under AlgU (sigmaE) negative control. At present, nothing is known about the organization and expression of flagella genes in A. vinelandii. Here, we identified the flagella gene cluster of this bacterium. Homologues of the master regulatory genes flhDC and fleQ are present in A. vinelandii. Inactivation of flhDC, but not fleQ, impaired flagella biogenesis and motility. We present evidence indicating that a negative effect of the AlgU sigma factor on flhDC expression causes loss of motility in A. vinelandii, and that CydR (a homologue of Fnr) is under AlgU control and has a negative effect on flhDC expression. Taken together, these results suggest the existence of a cascade consisting of AlgU and CydR that negatively controls expression of flhDC; the results also suggest that the block in flagella synthesis under encystment conditions centres on flhDC repression by the AlgU–CydR cascade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato León
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62250, Mexico
| | - Guadalupe Espín
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62250, Mexico
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FliZ Is a posttranslational activator of FlhD4C2-dependent flagellar gene expression. J Bacteriol 2008; 190:4979-88. [PMID: 18469103 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01996-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Flagellar assembly proceeds in a sequential manner, beginning at the base and concluding with the filament. A critical aspect of assembly is that gene expression is coupled to assembly. When cells transition from a nonflagellated to a flagellated state, gene expression is sequential, reflecting the manner in which the flagellum is made. A key mechanism for establishing this temporal hierarchy is the sigma(28)-FlgM checkpoint, which couples the expression of late flagellar (P(class3)) genes to the completion of the hook-basal body. In this work, we investigated the role of FliZ in coupling middle flagellar (P(class2)) gene expression to assembly in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. We demonstrate that FliZ is an FlhD(4)C(2)-dependent activator of P(class2)/middle gene expression. Our results suggest that FliZ regulates the concentration of FlhD(4)C(2) posttranslationally. We also demonstrate that FliZ functions independently of the flagellum-specific sigma factor sigma(28) and the filament-cap chaperone/FlhD(4)C(2) inhibitor FliT. Furthermore, we show that the previously described ability of sigma(28) to activate P(class2)/middle gene expression is, in fact, due to FliZ, as both are expressed from the same overlapping P(class2) and P(class3) promoters at the fliAZY locus. We conclude by discussing the role of FliZ regulation with respect to flagellar biosynthesis based on our characterization of gene expression and FliZ's role in swimming and swarming motility.
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Regulation of swarming motility and flhDC(Sm) expression by RssAB signaling in Serratia marcescens. J Bacteriol 2008; 190:2496-504. [PMID: 18223092 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01670-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Serratia marcescens cells swarm at 30 degrees C but not at 37 degrees C, and the underlying mechanism is not characterized. Our previous studies had shown that a temperature upshift from 30 to 37 degrees C reduced the expression levels of flhDC(Sm) and hag(Sm) in S. marcescens CH-1. Mutation in rssA or rssB, cognate genes that comprise a two-component system, also resulted in precocious swarming phenotypes at 37 degrees C. To further characterize the underlying mechanism, in the present study, we report that expression of flhDC(Sm) and synthesis of flagella are significantly increased in the rssA mutant strain at 37 degrees C. Primer extension analysis for determination of the transcriptional start site(s) of flhDC(Sm) revealed two transcriptional start sites, P1 and P2, in S. marcescens CH-1. Characterization of the phosphorylated RssB (RssB approximately P) binding site by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed direct interaction of RssB approximately P, but not unphosphorylated RssB [RssB(D51E)], with the P2 promoter region. A DNase I footprinting assay using a capillary electrophoresis approach further determined that the RssB approximately P binding site is located between base pair positions -341 and -364 from the translation start codon ATG in the flhDC(Sm) promoter region. The binding site overlaps with the P2 "-35" promoter region. A modified chromatin immunoprecipitation assay was subsequently performed to confirm that RssB-P binds to the flhDC(Sm) promoter region in vivo. In conclusion, our results indicated that activated RssA-RssB signaling directly inhibits flhDC(Sm) promoter activity at 37 degrees C. This inhibitory effect was comparatively alleviated at 30 degrees C. This finding might explain, at least in part, the phenomenon of inhibition of S. marcescens swarming at 37 degrees C.
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Wang Q, Zhao Y, McClelland M, Harshey RM. The RcsCDB signaling system and swarming motility in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium: dual regulation of flagellar and SPI-2 virulence genes. J Bacteriol 2007; 189:8447-57. [PMID: 17905992 PMCID: PMC2168921 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01198-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Rcs phosphorelay is a multicomponent signaling system that positively regulates colanic acid synthesis and negatively regulates motility and virulence. We have exploited a spontaneously isolated mutant, IgaA(T191P), that is nearly maximally activated for the Rcs system to identify a vast set of genes that respond to the stimulation, and we report new regulatory properties of this signaling system in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Microarray data show that the Rcs system normally functions as a positive regulator of SPI-2 and other genes important for the growth of Salmonella in macrophages, although when highly activated the system completely represses the SPI-1/SPI-2 virulence, flagellar, and fimbrial biogenesis pathways. The auxiliary protein RcsA, which works with RcsB to positively regulate colanic acid and other target genes, not only stimulates but also antagonizes the positive regulation of many genes in the igaA mutant. We show that RcsB represses motility through the RcsB box in the promoter region of the master operon flhDC and that RcsA is not required for this regulation. Curiously, RcsB selectively stimulates expression of the flagellar type 3 secretion genes fliPQR; an RcsAB box located downstream of fliR influences this regulation. We show that excess colanic acid impairs swimming and inhibits swarming motility, consistent with the inverse regulation of the two pathways by the Rcs system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingfeng Wang
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology & Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Yamamoto S, Kutsukake K. FliT acts as an anti-FlhD2C2 factor in the transcriptional control of the flagellar regulon in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:6703-8. [PMID: 16952964 PMCID: PMC1595477 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00799-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Flagellar operons are divided into three classes with respect to their transcriptional hierarchy in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The class 1 gene products FlhD and FlhC act together in an FlhD(2)C(2) heterotetramer, which binds upstream of the class 2 promoters to facilitate binding of RNA polymerase. Class 2 expression is known to be enhanced by a disruption mutation in a flagellar gene, fliT. In this study, we purified FliT protein in a His-tagged form and showed that the protein prevented binding of FlhD(2)C(2) to the class 2 promoter and inhibited FlhD(2)C(2)-dependent transcription. Pull-down and far-Western blotting analyses revealed that the FliT protein was capable of binding to FlhD(2)C(2) and FlhC and not to FlhD alone. We conclude that FliT acts as an anti-FlhD(2)C(2) factor, which binds to FlhD(2)C(2) through interaction with the FlhC subunit and inhibits its binding to the class 2 promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shouji Yamamoto
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka 3-1-1, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
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Iyoda S, Koizumi N, Satou H, Lu Y, Saitoh T, Ohnishi M, Watanabe H. The GrlR-GrlA regulatory system coordinately controls the expression of flagellar and LEE-encoded type III protein secretion systems in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:5682-92. [PMID: 16885436 PMCID: PMC1540053 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00352-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The gene function of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) is essential for full virulence of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). Strict control of LEE gene expression is mediated by the coordinated activities of several regulatory elements. We previously reported that the ClpX/ClpP protease positively controls LEE expression by down-regulating intracellular levels of GrlR, a negative regulator of LEE gene expression. We further revealed that the negative effect of GrlR on LEE expression was mediated through GrlA, a positive regulator of LEE expression. In this study, we found that the FliC protein, a major component of flagellar filament, was overproduced in clpXP mutant EHEC, as previously reported for Salmonella. We further found that FliC expression was reduced in a clpXP grlR double mutant. To determine the mediators of this phenotype, FliC protein levels in wild-type, grlR, grlA, and grlR grlA strains were compared. Steady-state levels of FliC protein were reduced only in the grlR mutant, suggesting that positive regulation of FliC expression by GrlR is mediated by GrlA. Correspondingly, cell motility was also reduced in the grlR mutant, but not in the grlA or grlR grlA mutant. Because overexpression of grlA from a multicopy plasmid strongly represses the FliC level, as well as cell motility, we conclude that GrlA acts as a negative regulator of flagellar-gene expression. The fact that an EHEC strain constitutively expressing FlhD/FlhC cannot adhere to HeLa cells leads us to hypothesize that GrlA-dependent repression of the flagellar regulon is important for efficient cell adhesion of EHEC to host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunao Iyoda
- Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
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Park D, Forst S. Co-regulation of motility, exoenzyme and antibiotic production by the EnvZ-OmpR-FlhDC-FliA pathway in Xenorhabdus nematophila. Mol Microbiol 2006; 61:1397-412. [PMID: 16889644 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05320.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Xenorhabdus nematophila is an emerging model for both mutualism and pathogenicity in different invertebrate hosts. Here we conduct a mutant study of the EnvZ-OmpR two-component system and the flagella sigma factor, FliA (sigma28). Both ompR and envZ strains displayed precocious swarming behaviour, elevated flhD and fliA mRNA levels and early production of lipase, protease, haemolysin and antibiotic activity. Inactivation of fliA eliminated exoenzyme production which was restored by complementation with the fliAZ operon. Inactivation of flhA, a gene encoding a component of the flagella export apparatus, eliminated lipase but not protease or haemolysin production indicating these enzymes are secreted by different export pathways. FliA-regulated lipase (xlpA) and protease (xrtA) genes were identified. Their expression and level of production were elevated in the ompR and envZ strains and markedly reduced in the fliA strain while both were expressed normally in the flhA strain. We also found that expression of nrps1 which encodes a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase was elevated in the ompR and envZ strains. The fliA strain was pathogenic towards the insect host indicating that motility and FliA-regulated exoenzyme production were not essential for virulence. These findings support a model in which the EnvZ-OmpR-FlhDC-FliA regulatory network co-ordinately controls flagella synthesis, and exoenzyme and antibiotic production in X. nematophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongjin Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
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Abstract
Previous work suggested that the FlgE (flagellar hook subunit) protein in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was posttranscriptionally regulated in response to the stage of flagellar assembly. Specifically, the FlgE protein could be detected in flagellar mutants defective at the stages of assembly before or after rod assembly but not in rod assembly mutants, yet flgE mRNA levels were unaffected. To elucidate posttranscriptional mechanisms involved in the coupling of flgE gene expression to hook assembly, the RNA sequences at the 5' and 3' ends of the flgE-containing mRNA processed from the large flgBCDEFGHIJKL operon were determined by rapid amplification of cDNA ends, and secretion of the FlgE protein in different flagellar assembly mutant strains was analyzed. The sequences 5' and 3' of the flgE gene where RNA processing occurred was within 15 bases upstream of the flgD stop codon and at bases 145 to 147 downstream of the flgF start codon, respectively. The ribosome binding site of the flgD gene was found to be inhibitory to flgE translation in strains deleted for the upstream flgD gene, unless the region 15 bases upstream of the flgD stop codon was present. Secretion of FlgE into the periplasm was monitored using beta-lactamase (Bla) fusions as a periplasm-specific reporter, which conferred resistance to ampicillin when FlgE-Bla was secreted into the periplasm. Using this assay, we found that the effect of rod assembly mutants on FlgE levels was due to FlgE turnover in the periplasm and that the FliE rod component protein was required for efficient FlgE-Bla secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Jung Lee
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
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Frye J, Karlinsey JE, Felise HR, Marzolf B, Dowidar N, McClelland M, Hughes KT. Identification of new flagellar genes of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:2233-43. [PMID: 16513753 PMCID: PMC1428135 DOI: 10.1128/jb.188.6.2233-2243.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA levels of flagellar genes in eight different genetic backgrounds were compared to that of the wild type by DNA microarray analysis. Cluster analysis identified new, potential flagellar genes, three putative methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins, STM3138 (McpA), STM3152 (McpB), and STM3216(McpC), and a CheV homolog, STM2314, in Salmonella, that are not found in Escherichia coli. Isolation and characterization of Mud-lac insertions in cheV, mcpB, mcpC, and the previously uncharacterized aer locus of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium revealed them to be controlled by sigma28-dependent flagellar class 3 promoters. In addition, the srfABC operon previously isolated as an SsrB-regulated operon clustered with the flagellar class 2 operon and was determined to be under FlhDC control. The previously unclassified fliB gene, encoding flagellin methylase, clustered as a class 2 gene, which was verified using reporter fusions, and the fliB transcriptional start site was identified by primer extension analysis. RNA levels of all flagellar genes were elevated in flgM or fliT null strains. RNA levels of class 3 flagellar genes were elevated in a fliS null strain, while deletion of the fliY, fliZ, or flk gene did not affect flagellar RNA levels relative to those of the wild type. The cafA (RNase G) and yhjH genes clustered with flagellar class 3 transcribed genes. Null alleles in cheV, mcpA, mcpB, mcpC, and srfB did not affect motility, while deletion of yhjH did result in reduced motility compared to that of the wild type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Frye
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, San Diego, California 92121, USA
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Chevance FFV, Karlinsey JE, Wozniak CE, Hughes KT. A little gene with big effects: a serT mutant is defective in flgM gene translation. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:297-304. [PMID: 16352846 PMCID: PMC1317601 DOI: 10.1128/jb.188.1.297-304.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A conditional-lethal mutant was isolated as having a flagellar regulatory phenotype at 30 degrees C and being unable to grow at 42 degrees C. Chromosomal mapping localized the mutation to the serT gene, which encodes an essential serine tRNA species (tRNA((cmo)5UGA)(Ser)). DNA sequence analysis revealed the mutation to be a single base change in G:A at position 10 of the serT gene that lies within the D-stem of the essential tRNA((cmo)5)UGA(Ser) species. tRNA((cmo)5)UGA(Ser) recognizes UCA, UCG, and UCU codons, but UCU is also recognized by tRNA(GGA)(Ser) and UCG by tRNA(CGA)(Ser). No other tRNAs are known to read the UCA codon. Thus, the UCA codon is specifically recognized by tRNA((cmo)5)UGA(Ser). We show that the anti-sigma(28) activity of FlgM is defective in the serT mutant strain. The serT allele causes a 10-fold increase in sigma(28)-dependent fliC promoter transcription, indicating a defect in FlgM anti-sigma(28) activity in the presence of the serT mutation. The flgM gene contains only one UCA codon. Changing the UCA of flgM to ACG reversed the effect of the serT allele. Implications for context effects in regulation of gene expression are discussed.
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Clarke MB, Sperandio V. Transcriptional regulation of flhDC by QseBC and sigma (FliA) in enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli. Mol Microbiol 2005; 57:1734-49. [PMID: 16135237 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2005.04792.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) serotype O157:H7, the causative agent of haemorrhagic colitis, has been shown to utilize a cell-to-cell signalling system to regulate gene expression. We have previously reported that the quorum sensing E. coli regulators B and C (QseBC) may act as a two-component system in EHEC to transcriptionally regulate the expression of flagella and motility through flhDC, the master regulator of flagella and motility genes. Here, we performed deletion analyses using the flhDC promoter in order to determine the minimal promoter regions necessary for QseBC transcriptional activation. We also performed electrophoretic mobility shift assays, competition experiments and DNaseI footprints, which suggest that QseB directly binds the flhDC promoter at high- and low-affinity binding sites. These analyses have allowed us to determine the potential consensus sequence to which QseB binds in order to regulate transcription. Additionally, we mapped the transcriptional start site of flhDC responsive to QseBC, leading to the identification of a conserved FliA (sigma28) consensus sequence. These results suggest that FliA (sigma28), a class 2 flagellar gene, may be aiding in the transcriptional initiation of class 1 genes (flhDC) in EHEC. In order to further characterize the role of FliA (sigma28) in transcription of the flhDC promoter, we constructed a fliA isogenic mutant in EHEC. The flhDC::lacZ transcriptional fusion showed decreased activity in the fliA mutant compared with wild-type and complemented strains. Taken together, these results indicate that transcriptional initiation at the flhDC promoter by QseBC appears to be complex and dependent on the presence of FliA (sigma28).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcie B Clarke
- Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9048, USA
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Wang S, Fleming RT, Westbrook EM, Matsumura P, McKay DB. Structure of the Escherichia coli FlhDC complex, a prokaryotic heteromeric regulator of transcription. J Mol Biol 2005; 355:798-808. [PMID: 16337229 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2005] [Revised: 11/04/2005] [Accepted: 11/07/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The hetero-oligomeric complex of the FlhD and FlhC proteins (FlhDC) regulates transcription from several flagellar and non-flagellar operons in bacteria. The crystallographic structure of the Escherichia coli FlhDC complex has been solved to 3.0 A resolution, revealing a hexameric FlhD4FlhC2 assembly. In the complex, each FlhC protomer binds an FlhD2 dimer; the conformation of the dimer in the complex differs significantly from its conformation in the absence of FlhC. FlhC has a novel tertiary fold that includes a heretofore unrecognized zinc-binding site in which the ion is ligated by four cysteine residues. Gel shift experiments show that binding of the FlhDC complex to a cognate promoter bends the DNA by approximately 111 degrees . The structure of the FlhDC complex is compatible with models in which a fragment of operator DNA, at least 48 base-pairs in length, wraps around the complex and bends significantly when binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuying Wang
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Soutourina OA, Bertin PN. Regulation cascade of flagellar expression in Gram-negative bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2003; 27:505-23. [PMID: 14550943 DOI: 10.1016/s0168-6445(03)00064-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 260] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Flagellar motility helps bacteria to reach the most favourable environments and to successfully compete with other micro-organisms. These complex organelles also play an important role in adhesion to substrates, biofilm formation and virulence process. In addition, because their synthesis and functioning are very expensive for the cell (about 2% of biosynthetic energy expenditure in Escherichia coli) and may induce a strong immune response in the host organism, the expression of flagellar genes is highly regulated by environmental conditions. In the past few years, many data have been published about the regulation of motility in polarly and laterally flagellated bacteria. However, the mechanism of motility control by environmental factors and by some regulatory proteins remains largely unknown. In this respect, recent experimental data suggest that the master regulatory protein-encoding genes at the first level of the cascade are the main target for many environmental factors. This mechanism might require DNA topology alterations of their regulatory regions. Finally, despite some differences the polar and lateral flagellar cascades share many functional similarities, including a similar hierarchical organisation of flagellar systems. The remarkable parallelism in the functional organisation of flagellar systems suggests an evolutionary conservation of regulatory mechanisms in Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga A Soutourina
- Laboratoire de Biochimie, UMR 7654, CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
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