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Wei Y, Xin X, Zhang J, Liao Q, Rong Y, Zhong Y, Zhao M, Ma J, He S. Genome-wide sRNA and mRNA transcriptomic profiling insights into carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1419989. [PMID: 39220286 PMCID: PMC11362675 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1419989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) is rising as a human pathogen of critical priority worldwide as it is the leading cause of opportunistic infections in healthcare settings and carbapenem-resistant AB is listed as a "super bacterium" or "priority pathogen for drug resistance" by the World Health Organization. Methods Clinical isolates of A. baumannii were collected and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Among them, carbapenem-resistant and carbapenem-sensitive A. baumannii were subjected to prokaryotic transcriptome sequencing. The change of sRNA and mRNA expression was analyzed by bioinformatics and validated by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. Results A total of 687 clinical isolates were collected, of which 336 strains of A. baumannii were resistant to carbapenem. Five hundred and six differentially expressed genes and nineteen differentially expressed sRNA candidates were discovered through transcriptomic profile analysis between carbapenem-resistant isolates and carbapenem-sensitive isolates. Possible binding sites were predicted through software for sRNA21 and adeK, sRNA27 and pgaC, sRNA29 and adeB, sRNA36 and katG, indicating a possible targeting relationship. A negative correlation was shown between sRNA21 and adeK (r = -0.581, P = 0.007), sRNA27 and pgaC (r = -0.612, P = 0.004), sRNA29 and adeB (r = -0.516, P = 0.020). Discussion This study preliminarily screened differentially expressed mRNA and sRNA in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii, and explored possible targeting relationships, which will help further reveal the resistance mechanism and provide a theoretical basis for the development of drugs targeting sRNA for the prevention and treatment of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Wei
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xuli Xin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiachun Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qifeng Liao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yan Rong
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ying Zhong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Meiying Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jianping Ma
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Song He
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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Ganske A, Busch LM, Hentschker C, Reder A, Michalik S, Surmann K, Völker U, Mäder U. Exploring the targetome of IsrR, an iron-regulated sRNA controlling the synthesis of iron-containing proteins in Staphylococcus aureus. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1439352. [PMID: 39035440 PMCID: PMC11257911 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1439352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a common colonizer of the skin and nares of healthy individuals, but also a major cause of severe human infections. During interaction with the host, pathogenic bacteria must adapt to a variety of adverse conditions including nutrient deprivation. In particular, they encounter severe iron limitation in the mammalian host through iron sequestration by haptoglobin and iron-binding proteins, a phenomenon called "nutritional immunity." In most bacteria, including S. aureus, the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) is the key regulator of iron homeostasis, which primarily acts as a transcriptional repressor of genes encoding iron acquisition systems. Moreover, Fur can control the expression of trans-acting small regulatory RNAs that play an important role in the cellular iron-sparing response involving major changes in cellular metabolism under iron-limiting conditions. In S. aureus, the sRNA IsrR is controlled by Fur, and most of its predicted targets are iron-containing proteins and other proteins related to iron metabolism and iron-dependent pathways. To characterize the IsrR targetome on a genome-wide scale, we combined proteomics-based identification of potential IsrR targets using S. aureus strains either lacking or constitutively expressing IsrR with an in silico target prediction approach, thereby suggesting 21 IsrR targets, of which 19 were negatively affected by IsrR based on the observed protein patterns. These included several Fe-S cluster- and heme-containing proteins, such as TCA cycle enzymes and catalase encoded by katA. IsrR affects multiple metabolic pathways connected to the TCA cycle as well as the oxidative stress response of S. aureus and links the iron limitation response to metabolic remodeling. In contrast to the majority of target mRNAs, the IsrR-katA mRNA interaction is predicted upstream of the ribosome binding site, and further experiments including mRNA half-life measurements demonstrated that IsrR, in addition to inhibiting translation initiation, can downregulate target protein levels by affecting mRNA stability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ulrike Mäder
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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3
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Siemers M, Lippegaus A, Papenfort K. ChimericFragments: computation, analysis and visualization of global RNA networks. NAR Genom Bioinform 2024; 6:lqae035. [PMID: 38633425 PMCID: PMC11023125 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqae035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
RNA-RNA interactions are a key feature of post-transcriptional gene regulation in all domains of life. While ever more experimental protocols are being developed to study RNA duplex formation on a genome-wide scale, computational methods for the analysis and interpretation of the underlying data are lagging behind. Here, we present ChimericFragments, an analysis framework for RNA-seq experiments that produce chimeric RNA molecules. ChimericFragments implements a novel statistical method based on the complementarity of the base-pairing RNAs around their ligation site and provides an interactive graph-based visualization for data exploration and interpretation. ChimericFragments detects true RNA-RNA interactions with high precision and is compatible with several widely used experimental procedures such as RIL-seq, LIGR-seq or CLASH. We further demonstrate that ChimericFragments enables the systematic detection of novel RNA regulators and RNA-target pairs with crucial roles in microbial physiology and virulence. ChimericFragments is written in Julia and available at: https://github.com/maltesie/ChimericFragments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Siemers
- Friedrich Schiller University, Institute of Microbiology, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Microverse Cluster, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Anne Lippegaus
- Friedrich Schiller University, Institute of Microbiology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Kai Papenfort
- Friedrich Schiller University, Institute of Microbiology, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Microverse Cluster, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
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4
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Małecka EM, Woodson SA. RNA compaction and iterative scanning for small RNA targets by the Hfq chaperone. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2069. [PMID: 38453956 PMCID: PMC10920880 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46316-6] [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: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
RNA-guided enzymes must quickly search a vast sequence space for their targets. This search is aided by chaperones such as Hfq, a protein that mediates regulation by bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs). How RNA binding proteins enhance this search is little known. Using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer, we show that E. coli Hfq performs a one-dimensional scan in which compaction of the target RNA delivers sRNAs to sites distant from the location of Hfq recruitment. We also show that Hfq can transfer an sRNA between different target sites in a single mRNA, favoring the most stable duplex. We propose that compaction and segmental transfer, combined with repeated cycles of base pairing, enable the kinetic selection of optimal sRNA targets. Finally, we show that RNA compaction and sRNA transfer require conserved arginine patches. We suggest that arginine patches are a widespread strategy for enabling the movement of RNA across protein surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewelina M Małecka
- Thomas C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St.,5, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
- Laboratory of Single-Molecule Biophysics, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Trojdena 4, Warsaw, 02-109, Poland.
| | - Sarah A Woodson
- Thomas C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St.,5, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
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5
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Roy Chowdhury M, Massé E. New Perspectives on Crosstalks Between Bacterial Regulatory RNAs from Outer Membrane Vesicles and Eukaryotic Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2741:183-194. [PMID: 38217654 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3565-0_10] [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] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) help the bacteria to survive harsh environmental conditions by posttranscriptional regulation of genes involved in various biological pathways including stress responses, homeostasis, and virulence. These sRNAs can be found carried by different membrane-bound vesicles like extracellular vesicles (EVs), membrane vesicles (MVs), or outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). OMVs provide myriad functions in bacterial cells including carrying a cargo of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids including sRNAs. A few interesting studies have shown that these sRNAs can be transported to the host cell by membrane vesicles and can regulate the host immune system. Although there is evidence that sRNAs can be exported to host cells and sometimes can even cross the blood-brain barrier, the exact mechanism is still unknown. In this review, we investigated the new techniques implemented in various studies, to elucidate the crosstalks between bacterial cells and human immune systems by membrane vesicles carrying bacterial regulatory sRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moumita Roy Chowdhury
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Eric Massé
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
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6
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Bloch S, Lewandowska N, Wesołowski W, Łukasiak A, Mach P, Nejman-Faleńczyk B, Węgrzyn G. Analysis of Phage Regulatory RNAs: Sequencing Library Construction from the Fraction of Small Prokaryotic RNAs Less Than 50 Nucleotides in Length. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2741:25-34. [PMID: 38217647 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3565-0_3] [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] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
So far, bacterial regulatory sRNAs of length less than 50 nucleotides have been poorly understood, and a low number of such molecules has been identified. The first microRNA-size functional ribonucleic acid occurring in a bacterial cell has been described only recently, and it was found to be encoded by a bacteriophage. One of the reasons for such a scarcity in this field is the lack of procedures intended for the isolation and selection of molecules of this size from bacterial cells. To meet these difficulties, we describe here the few-step procedure of isolation, purification, selection, and sequencing library preparation that is dedicated to the fraction of very small, bacterial RNA molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia Bloch
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Natalia Lewandowska
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Wojciech Wesołowski
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Łukasiak
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Paulina Mach
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | | | - Grzegorz Węgrzyn
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
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7
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García-Tomsig NI, Lagares A, Becker A, Valverde C, Jiménez-Zurdo JI. An Integrated Affinity Chromatography-Based Approach to Unravel the sRNA Interactome in Nitrogen-Fixing Rhizobia. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2741:363-380. [PMID: 38217663 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3565-0_19] [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] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
The activity mechanism and function of bacterial base-pairing small non-coding RNA regulators (sRNAs) are largely shaped by their main interacting cellular partners, i.e., proteins and mRNAs. We describe here an MS2 affinity chromatography-based procedure adapted to unravel the sRNA interactome in nitrogen-fixing legume endosymbiotic bacteria. The method consists of tagging of the bait sRNA at its 5'-end with the MS2 aptamer followed by pulse overexpression and immobilization of the chimeric transcript from cell lysates by an MS2-MBP fusion protein conjugated to an amylose resin. The sRNA-binding proteins and target mRNAs are further profiled by mass spectrometry and RNAseq, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Isabel García-Tomsig
- Structure, Dynamics and Function of Rhizobacterial Genomes (RhizoRNA Lab), Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Lagares
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Genética de Bacterias Beneficiosas para Plantas (LFGBBP), Centro de Bioquímica y Microbiología del Suelo, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - CONICET, Bernal, Argentina
| | - Anke Becker
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Claudio Valverde
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Genética de Bacterias Beneficiosas para Plantas (LFGBBP), Centro de Bioquímica y Microbiología del Suelo (CBMS), Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - CONICET, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - José Ignacio Jiménez-Zurdo
- Structure, Dynamics and Function of Rhizobacterial Genomes (RhizoRNA Lab), Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Granada, Spain.
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8
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Santoro S, Bertoni G, Ferrara S. A Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Suitable Fluorescent Reporter System for Analyzing Small RNA-Mediated Regulation of Target mRNAs. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2721:69-83. [PMID: 37819516 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3473-8_6] [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] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial small RNAs have emerged as modulators that play key roles in regulatory networks related to viability, environmental adaptation, and pathogenesis. Small RNAs can modulate gene expression by base-pairing to target mRNAs, influencing their translation and/or stability. A superfolder GFP reporter system, previously developed for Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, was adapted to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and used to validate novel mRNA targets in studies of small RNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Santoro
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bertoni
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Ferrara
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Milano, Italy.
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9
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Ferrara S, Brignoli T, Bertoni G. Little reason to call them small noncoding RNAs. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1191166. [PMID: 37455713 PMCID: PMC10339803 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1191166] [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] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Hundreds of different species of small RNAs can populate a bacterial cell. This small transcriptome contains important information for the adaptation of cellular physiology to environmental changes. Underlying cellular networks involving small RNAs are RNA-RNA and RNA-protein interactions, which are often intertwined. In addition, small RNAs can function as mRNAs. In general, small RNAs are referred to as noncoding because very few are known to contain translated open reading frames. In this article, we intend to highlight that the number of small RNAs that fall within the set of translated RNAs is bound to increase. In addition, we aim to emphasize that the dynamics of the small transcriptome involve different functional codes, not just the genetic code. Therefore, since the role of small RNAs is always code-driven, we believe that there is little reason to continue calling them small noncoding RNAs.
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Van Gundy T, Patel D, Bowler BE, Rothfuss MT, Hall AJ, Davies C, Hall LS, Drecktrah D, Marconi RT, Samuels DS, Lybecker MC. c-di-GMP regulates activity of the PlzA RNA chaperone from the Lyme disease spirochete. Mol Microbiol 2023; 119:711-727. [PMID: 37086029 PMCID: PMC10330241 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
PlzA is a c-di-GMP-binding protein crucial for adaptation of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi during its enzootic life cycle. Unliganded apo-PlzA is important for vertebrate infection, while liganded holo-PlzA is important for survival in the tick; however, the biological function of PlzA has remained enigmatic. Here, we report that PlzA has RNA chaperone activity that is inhibited by c-di-GMP binding. Holo- and apo-PlzA bind RNA and accelerate RNA annealing, while only apo-PlzA can strand displace and unwind double-stranded RNA. Guided by the crystal structure of PlzA, we identified several key aromatic amino acids protruding from the N- and C-terminal domains that are required for RNA-binding and unwinding activity. Our findings illuminate c-di-GMP as a switch controlling the RNA chaperone activity of PlzA, and we propose that complex RNA-mediated modulatory mechanisms allow PlzA to regulate gene expression during both the vector and host phases of the B. burgdorferi life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Van Gundy
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - Dhara Patel
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Bruce E. Bowler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Michael T. Rothfuss
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Allie J. Hall
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
| | - Laura S. Hall
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Dan Drecktrah
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Richard T. Marconi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - D. Scott Samuels
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Meghan C. Lybecker
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs CO 80917, USA
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Pita T, Feliciano JR, Leitão JH. Identification of Burkholderia cenocepacia non-coding RNAs expressed during Caenorhabditis elegans infection. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:3653-3671. [PMID: 37097504 PMCID: PMC10175445 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12530-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are key regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression in bacteria. Despite the identification of hundreds of bacterial sRNAs, their roles on bacterial physiology and virulence remain largely unknown, as is the case of bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc). Bcc is a group of opportunistic pathogens with relatively large genomes that can cause lethal lung infections amongst cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. To characterise sRNAs expressed by Bcc bacteria when infecting a host, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was used as an infection model by the epidemic CF strain B. cenocepacia J2315. A total of 108 new and 31 previously described sRNAs with a predicted Rho independent terminator were identified, most of them located on chromosome 1. RIT11b, a sRNA downregulated under C. elegans infection conditions, was shown to directly affect B. cenocepacia virulence, biofilm formation, and swimming motility. RIT11b overexpression reduced the expression of the direct targets dusA and pyrC, involved in biofilm formation, epithelial cell adherence, and chronic infections in other organisms. The in vitro direct interaction of RIT11b with the dusA and pyrC messengers was demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the functional characterization of a sRNA directly involved in B. cenocepacia virulence. KEY POINTS: • 139 sRNAs expressed by B. cenocepacia during C. elegans infection were identified • The sRNA RIT11b affects B. cenocepacia virulence, biofilm formation, and motility • RIT11b directly binds to and regulates dusA and pyrC mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Pita
- Department of Bioengineering, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, and Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joana R Feliciano
- Department of Bioengineering, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, and Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Jorge H Leitão
- Department of Bioengineering, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, and Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal.
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12
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Man-Bovenkerk S, Schipper K, van Sorge NM, Speijer D, van der Ende A, Pannekoek Y. Neisseria meningitidis Sibling Small Regulatory RNAs Connect Metabolism with Colonization by Controlling Propionate Use. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0046222. [PMID: 36856428 PMCID: PMC10029713 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00462-22] [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: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) colonizes the human nasopharynx, primarily as a commensal, but sporadically causing septicemia and meningitis. During colonization and invasion, it encounters different niches with specific nutrient compositions. Small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) are used to fine-tune expression of genes, allowing adaptation to their physiological differences. We have previously characterized sRNAs (Neisseria metabolic switch regulators [NmsRs]) controlling switches between cataplerotic and anaplerotic metabolism. Here, we extend the NmsR regulon by studying methylcitrate lyase (PrpF) and propionate kinase (AckA-1) involved in the methylcitrate cycle and serine hydroxymethyltransferase (GlyA) and 3-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase (MmsB) involved in protein degradation. These proteins were previously shown to be dysregulated in a ΔnmsRs strain. Levels of transcription of target genes and NmsRs were assessed by reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). We also used a novel gene reporter system in which the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of the target gene is fused to mcherry to study NmsRs-target gene interaction in the meningococcus. Under nutrient-rich conditions, NmsRs downregulate expression of PrpF and AckA-1 by direct interaction with the 5' UTR of their mRNA. Overexpression of NmsRs impaired growth under nutrient-limiting growth conditions with pyruvate and propionic acid as the only carbon sources. Our data strongly suggest that NmsRs downregulate propionate metabolism by lowering methylcitrate enzyme activity under nutrient-rich conditions. Under nutrient-poor conditions, NmsRs are downregulated, increasing propionate metabolism, resulting in higher tricarboxylic acid (TCA) activities. IMPORTANCE Neisseria meningitidis colonizes the human nasopharynx, forming a reservoir for the sporadic occurrence of epidemic invasive meningococcal disease like septicemia and meningitis. Propionic acid generated by other bacteria that coinhabit the human nasopharynx can be utilized by meningococci for replication in this environment. Here, we showed that sibling small RNAs, designated NmsRs, riboregulate propionic acid utilization by meningococci and, thus, colonization. Under conditions mimicking the nasopharyngeal environment, NmsRs are downregulated. This leads to the conversion of propionic acid to pyruvate and succinate, resulting in higher tricarboxylic acid cycle activity, allowing colonization of the nasopharynx. NmsRs link metabolic state with colonization, which is a crucial step on the trajectory to invasive meningococcal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Man-Bovenkerk
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kim Schipper
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nina M. van Sorge
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands Reference Laboratory for Bacterial Meningitis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dave Speijer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Arie van der Ende
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yvonne Pannekoek
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Gene Regulatory Network of the Noncoding RNA Qrr5 Involved in the Cytotoxicity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus during Infection. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10102084. [PMID: 36296357 PMCID: PMC9610228 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10102084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) in bacteria are important regulatory molecules for controlling virulence. In Vibrio spp., Qrr sRNAs are critical for quorum-sensing pathways and regulating the release of some virulence factors. However, the detailed role of Qrr sRNAs in the virulence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified a Vibrio sRNA Qrr5 that positively regulates cytotoxicity and adherence in Caco-2 cells by primarily regulating the T3SS1 gene cluster. A number of 185, 586, 355, and 74 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) detected at 0, 2, 4, and 6 h post-infection, respectively, were mainly associated with ABC transporters and two-component system pathways. The DEGs exhibited a dynamic change in expression at various time points post-infection owing to the deletion of Qrr5. Accordingly, 17 related genes were identified in the co-expression network, and their interaction with Qrr5 was determined based on weighted co-expression network analysis during infection. Taken together, our results provide a comprehensive transcriptome profile of V. parahaemolyticus during infection in Caco-2 cells.
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Yu Z, Fu Y, Zhang W, Zhu L, Yin W, Chou SH, He J. The RNA Chaperone Protein Hfq Regulates the Characteristic Sporulation and Insecticidal Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:884528. [PMID: 35479624 PMCID: PMC9037596 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.884528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is one of the most widely used bio-insecticides at present. It can produce many virulence factors and insecticidal crystal proteins during growth and sporulation. Hfq, on the other hand, is a bacterial RNA chaperone that can regulate the function of different kinds of RNAs, thereby affecting various bacterial phenotypes. To further explore the physiological functions of Hfq in Bt, we took BMB171 as the starting strain, knocked out one, two, or three hfq genes in its genome in different combinations, and compared the phenotypic differences between the deletion mutant strains and the starting strain. We did observe significant changes in several phenotypes, including motility, biofilm formation, sporulation, and insecticidal activity against cotton bollworm, among others. Afterward, we found through transcriptome studies that when all hfq genes were deleted, 32.5% of the genes in Bt were differentially transcribed, with particular changes in the sporulation-related and virulence-related genes. The above data demonstrated that Hfq plays a pivotal role in Bt and can regulate its various physiological functions. Our study on the regulatory mechanism of Hfq in Bt, especially the mining of the regulatory network of its sporulation and insecticidal activity, could lay a theoretical foundation for the better utilization of Bt as an effective insecticide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoqing Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yang Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,National Engineering Research Center of Edible Fungi, Institute of Edible Fungi, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Li Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wen Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shan-Ho Chou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jin He
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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Malvino ML, Bott AJ, Green CE, Majumdar T, Hind SR. Influence of Flagellin Polymorphisms, Gene Regulation, and Responsive Memory on the Motility of Xanthomonas Species That Cause Bacterial Spot Disease of Solanaceous Plants. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2022; 35:157-169. [PMID: 34732057 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-08-21-0211-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Increasingly, new evidence has demonstrated variability in the epitope regions of bacterial flagellin, including in regions harboring the microbe-associated molecular patterns flg22 and flgII-28 that are recognized by the pattern recognition receptors FLS2 and FLS3, respectively. Additionally, because bacterial motility is known to contribute to pathogen virulence and chemotaxis, reductions in or loss of motility can significantly reduce bacterial fitness. In this study, we determined that variations in flg22 and flgII-28 epitopes allow some but not all Xanthomonas spp. to evade both FLS2- and FLS3-mediated oxidative burst responses. We observed variation in the motility for many isolates, regardless of their flagellin sequence. Instead, we determined that past growth conditions may have a significant impact on the motility status of isolates, because we could minimize this variability by inducing motility using chemoattractant assays. Additionally, motility could be significantly suppressed under nutrient-limited conditions, and bacteria could "remember" its prior motility status after storage at ultracold temperatures. Finally, we observed larger bacterial populations of strains with flagellin variants predicted not to be recognized by either FLS2 or FLS3, suggesting that these bacteria can evade flagellin recognition in tomato plants. Although some flagellin variants may impart altered motility and differential recognition by the host immune system, external growth parameters and gene expression regulation appear to have more significant impacts on the motility phenotypes for these Xanthomonas spp.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria L Malvino
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
| | - Amie J Bott
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
| | - Cory E Green
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
| | - Tanvi Majumdar
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
| | - Sarah R Hind
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
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Katsuya-Gaviria K, Paris G, Dendooven T, Bandyra KJ. Bacterial RNA chaperones and chaperone-like riboregulators: behind the scenes of RNA-mediated regulation of cellular metabolism. RNA Biol 2021; 19:419-436. [PMID: 35438047 PMCID: PMC9037510 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2022.2048565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In all domains of life, RNA chaperones safeguard and guide the fate of the cellular RNA pool. RNA chaperones comprise structurally diverse proteins that ensure proper folding, stability, and ribonuclease resistance of RNA, and they support regulatory activities mediated by RNA. RNA chaperones constitute a topologically diverse group of proteins that often present an unstructured region and bind RNA with limited nucleotide sequence preferences. In bacteria, three main proteins - Hfq, ProQ, and CsrA - have been shown to regulate numerous complex processes, including bacterial growth, stress response and virulence. Hfq and ProQ have well-studied activities as global chaperones with pleiotropic impact, while CsrA has a chaperone-like role with more defined riboregulatory function. Here, we describe relevant novel insights into their common features, including RNA binding properties, unstructured domains, and interplay with other proteins important to RNA metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Katsuya-Gaviria
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, CambridgeCB2 1GA, UK
| | - Giulia Paris
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, CambridgeCB2 1GA, UK
| | - Tom Dendooven
- Department of Structural Studies, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Katarzyna J. Bandyra
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, 02-089Warsaw, Poland
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