The Three Flagellar Loci of Brucella ovis PA Are Dispensable for Virulence in Cellular Models and Mice

Characterization of three predicted zinc exporters in Brucella ovis identifies ZntR-ZntA as a powerful zinc and cadmium efflux system not required for virulence and unveils pathogenic Brucellae heterogeneity in zinc homeostasis

Brucella ovis causes non-zoonotic ovine brucellosis of worldwide distribution and is responsible for important economic losses mainly derived from male genital lesions and reproductive fails. Studies about the virulence mechanisms of this rough species (lacking lipopolysaccharide O-chains) are underrepresented when compared to the main zoonotic Brucella species that are smooth (with O-chains). Zinc intoxication constitutes a defense mechanism of the host against bacterial pathogens, which have developed efflux systems to counterbalance toxicity. In this study, we have characterized three potential B. ovis zinc exporters, including the ZntA ortholog previously studied in B. abortus. Despite an in-frame deletion removing 100 amino acids from B. ovis ZntA, the protein retained strong zinc efflux properties. Only indirect evidence suggested a higher exporter activity for B. abortus ZntA, which, together with differences in ZntR-mediated regulation of zntA expression between B. ovis and B. abortus, could contribute to explaining why the ΔzntR mutant of B. abortus is attenuated while that of B. ovis is virulent. Additionally, B. ovis ZntA was revealed as a powerful cadmium exporter contributing to cobalt, copper, and nickel detoxification, properties not previously described for the B. abortus ortholog. Deletion mutants for BOV_0501 and BOV_A1100, also identified as potential zinc exporters and pseudogenes in B. abortus, behaved as the B. ovis parental strain in all tests performed. However, their overexpression in the ΔzntA mutant allowed the detection of discrete zinc and cobalt efflux activity for BOV_0501 and BOV_A1100, respectively. Nevertheless, considering their low expression levels and the stronger activity of ZntA as a zinc and cobalt exporter, the biological role of BOV_0501 and BOV_A1100 is questionable. Results presented in this study evidence heterogeneity among pathogenic Brucellae regarding zinc export and, considering the virulence of B. ovis ΔzntA, suggest that host-mediated zinc intoxication is not a relevant mechanism to control B. ovis infection.

Comparative Review of Brucellosis in Small Domestic Ruminants

Brucella melitensis and Brucella ovis are the primary etiological agents of brucellosis in small domestic ruminants. B. melitensis was first isolated in 1887 by David Bruce in Malta Island from spleens of four soldiers, while B. ovis was originally isolated in Australia and New Zealand in early 1950's from ovine abortion and rams epididymitis. Today, both agents are distributed worldwide: B. melitensis remains endemic and associated with an extensive negative impact on the productivity of flocks in -some regions, and B. ovis is still present in most sheep-raising regions in the world. Despite being species of the same bacterial genus, B. melitensis and B. ovis have extensive differences in their cultural and biochemical characteristics (smooth vs. rough colonial phases, serum and CO2 dependence for in vitro growth, carbohydrate metabolism), host preference (female goat and sheep vs. rams), the outcome of infection (abortion vs. epididymitis), and their zoonotic potential. Some of these differences can be explained at the bacterial genomic level, but the role of the host genome in promoting or preventing interaction with pathogens is largely unknown. Diagnostic techniques and measures to prevent and control brucellosis in small ruminants vary, with B. melitensis having more available tools for detection and prevention than B. ovis. This review summarizes and analyzes current available information on: (1) the similarities and differences between these two etiological agents of brucellosis in small ruminants, (2) the outcomes after their interaction with different preferred hosts and current diagnostic methodologies, (3) the prevention and control measures, and (4) alerting animal producers about the disease and raise awareness in the research community for future innovative activities.

The Transcriptional Regulator MucR, but Not Its Controlled Acid-Activated Chaperone HdeA, Is Essential for Virulence and Modulates Surface Architecture and Properties in Brucella ovis PA

Brucella ovis is a non-zoonotic bacterium causing contagious epididymitis and other genital lesions in rams and responsible for significant economic losses in sheep-breeding areas. It is a naturally rough (without O-chains in the lipopolysaccharide) Brucella species whose virulence mechanisms have been less explored than those of zoonotic smooth brucellae (bearing O-chains that mask other outer membrane molecules). Considering the rough nature of Brucella ovis, the influence of surface components other than O-chains on its biological properties may be greater than in smooth Brucella species. Here we describe the construction and characterization of the mucR deletion mutant of virulent B. ovis PA, which is defective in a transcriptional regulator, affecting surface properties and virulence in smooth brucellae. This mutant showed increased amounts of three proteins identified as HdeA (acid-activated chaperone), Omp25d (outer membrane protein undetectable in the parental strain), and BOV_A0299 (hypothetical protein of unknown function). This observation correlated with the enhanced transcription of the corresponding genes and constitutes the first report on this type of proteome alteration in Brucella ΔmucR mutants. The upstream regions of the three genes contained AT rich domains with T-A steps described as binding sites for MucR in the Brucella abortus 2308 babR promoter (gene also upregulated in B. ovis ΔmucR), which suggests that hdeA, omp25d, and BOV_A0299 expression could be repressed by MucR through a direct binding to their promoter regions. Relative quantification of transcripts of several other genes selected according to the transcriptome of smooth brucellae ΔmucR mutants revealed not only similarities but also relevant differences among strains, such as those detected in flagellar and virB genes. Periplasmic HdeA has been related to the resistance of B. abortus to acidic pH, conditions encountered by Brucella inside phagocytes, but the deletion of hdeA in B. ovis PA and the ΔmucR mutant did not modify any of the evaluated properties of these strains. The B. ovis PA ΔmucR and ΔmucRΔhdeA mutants had defective in vitro growth and altered surface properties and architecture, exemplified by detectable amounts of Omp25d. Moreover, they showed virulence attenuation but established persistent splenic infection in mice, which encourages their evaluation as specifical attenuated vaccines against B. ovis.

Brucella and Its Hidden Flagellar System

Brucella, a Gram-negative bacterium with a high infective capacity and a wide spectrum of hosts in the animal world, is found in terrestrial and marine mammals, as well as amphibians. This broad spectrum of hosts is closely related to the non-classical virulence factors that allow this pathogen to establish its replicative niche, colonizing epithelial and immune system cells, evading the host's defenses and defensive response. While motility is the primary role of the flagellum in most bacteria, in Brucella, the flagellum is involved in virulence, infectivity, cell growth, and biofilm formation, all of which are very important facts in a bacterium that to date has been described as a non-motile organism. Evidence of the expression of these flagellar proteins that are present in Brucella makes it possible to hypothesize certain evolutionary aspects as to where a free-living bacterium eventually acquired genetic material from environmental microorganisms, including flagellar genes, conferring on it the ability to reach other hosts (mammals), and, under selective pressure from the environment, can express these genes, helping it to evade the immune response. This review summarizes relevant aspects of the presence of flagellar proteins and puts into context their relevance in certain functions associated with the infective process. The study of these flagellar genes gives the genus Brucella a very high infectious versatility, placing it among the main organisms in urgent need of study, as it is linked to human health by direct contact with farm animals and by eventual transmission to the general population, where flagellar genes and proteins are of great relevance.

Full pathogen characterisation: species identification including the detection of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes via multiplex DNA-assays

Antibiotic resistances progressively cause treatment failures, and their spreading dynamics reached an alarming level. Some strains have already been classified as highly critical, e.g. the ones summarised by the acronym ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter spp.). To restrain this trend and enable effective medication, as much information as possible must be obtained in the least possible time. Here, we present a DNA microarray-based assay that screens for the most important sepsis-relevant 44 pathogenic species, 360 virulence factors (mediate pathogenicity in otherwise non-pathogenic strains), and 409 antibiotic resistance genes in parallel. The assay was evaluated with 14 multidrug resistant strains, including all ESKAPE pathogens, mainly obtained from clinical isolates. We used a cost-efficient ligation-based detection platform designed to emulate the highly specific multiplex detection of padlock probes. Results could be obtained within one day, requiring approximately 4 h for amplification, application to the microarray, and detection.

Uncovering the Hidden Credentials of Brucella Virulence

Bacteria in the genus Brucella are important human and veterinary pathogens. The abortion and infertility they cause in food animals produce economic hardships in areas where the disease has not been controlled, and human brucellosis is one of the world's most common zoonoses. Brucella strains have also been isolated from wildlife, but we know much less about the pathobiology and epidemiology of these infections than we do about brucellosis in domestic animals. The brucellae maintain predominantly an intracellular lifestyle in their mammalian hosts, and their ability to subvert the host immune response and survive and replicate in macrophages and placental trophoblasts underlies their success as pathogens. We are just beginning to understand how these bacteria evolved from a progenitor alphaproteobacterium with an environmental niche and diverged to become highly host-adapted and host-specific pathogens. Two important virulence determinants played critical roles in this evolution: (i) a type IV secretion system that secretes effector molecules into the host cell cytoplasm that direct the intracellular trafficking of the brucellae and modulate host immune responses and (ii) a lipopolysaccharide moiety which poorly stimulates host inflammatory responses. This review highlights what we presently know about how these and other virulence determinants contribute to Brucella pathogenesis. Gaining a better understanding of how the brucellae produce disease will provide us with information that can be used to design better strategies for preventing brucellosis in animals and for preventing and treating this disease in humans.

Brucella abortus BspJ Is a Nucleomodulin That Inhibits Macrophage Apoptosis and Promotes Intracellular Survival of Brucella

To date, a variety of Brucella effector proteins have been found to mediate host cell secretion, autophagy, inflammation, and other signal pathways, but nuclear effector proteins have not yet been reported. We identified the first Brucella nucleomodulin, BspJ, and we screened out the BspJ interaction host proteins NME/NM23 nucleoside diphosphate kinase 2 (NME2) and creatine kinase B (CKB) through yeast two-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation assays. These proteins are related to the host cell energy synthesis, metabolism, and apoptosis pathways. Brucella nucleomodulin BspJ will decrease the expression level of NME2 and CKB. In addition, BspJ gene deletion strains promoted the apoptosis of macrophages and reduced the intracellular survival of Brucella in host cells. In short, we found nucleomodulin BspJ may directly or indirectly regulate host cell apoptosis through the interaction with NME2 and CKB by mediating energy metabolism pathways in response to the intracellular circulation of Brucella infection, but the mechanism needs further study.