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Kim BS. Spatiotemporal Regulation of Vibrio Exotoxins by HlyU and Other Transcriptional Regulators. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:E544. [PMID: 32842612 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12090544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
After invading a host, bacterial pathogens secrete diverse protein toxins to disrupt host defense systems. To ensure successful infection, however, pathogens must precisely regulate the expression of those exotoxins because uncontrolled toxin production squanders energy. Furthermore, inappropriate toxin secretion can trigger host immune responses that are detrimental to the invading pathogens. Therefore, bacterial pathogens use diverse transcriptional regulators to accurately regulate multiple exotoxin genes based on spatiotemporal conditions. This review covers three major exotoxins in pathogenic Vibrio species and their transcriptional regulation systems. When Vibrio encounters a host, genes encoding cytolysin/hemolysin, multifunctional-autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (MARTX) toxin, and secreted phospholipases are coordinately regulated by the transcriptional regulator HlyU. At the same time, however, they are distinctly controlled by a variety of other transcriptional regulators. How this coordinated but distinct regulation of exotoxins makes Vibrio species successful pathogens? In addition, anti-virulence strategies that target the coordinating master regulator HlyU and related future research directions are discussed.
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Choi G, Jang KK, Lim JG, Lee ZW, Im H, Choi SH. The transcriptional regulator IscR integrates host-derived nitrosative stress and iron starvation in activation of the vvhBA operon in Vibrio vulnificus. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:5350-5361. [PMID: 32169898 PMCID: PMC7170529 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.012724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
For successful infection of their hosts, pathogenic bacteria recognize host-derived signals that induce the expression of virulence factors in a spatiotemporal manner. The fulminating food-borne pathogen Vibrio vulnificus produces a cytolysin/hemolysin protein encoded by the vvhBA operon, which is a virulence factor preferentially expressed upon exposure to murine blood and macrophages. The Fe-S cluster containing transcriptional regulator IscR activates the vvhBA operon in response to nitrosative stress and iron starvation, during which the cellular IscR protein level increases. Here, electrophoretic mobility shift and DNase I protection assays revealed that IscR directly binds downstream of the vvhBA promoter P vvhBA , which is unusual for a positive regulator. We found that in addition to IscR, the transcriptional regulator HlyU activates vvhBA transcription by directly binding upstream of P vvhBA , whereas the histone-like nucleoid-structuring protein (H-NS) represses vvhBA by extensively binding to both downstream and upstream regions of its promoter. Of note, the binding sites of IscR and HlyU overlapped with those of H-NS. We further substantiated that IscR and HlyU outcompete H-NS for binding to the P vvhBA regulatory region, resulting in the release of H-NS repression and vvhBA induction. We conclude that concurrent antirepression by IscR and HlyU at regions both downstream and upstream of P vvhBA provides V. vulnificus with the means of integrating host-derived signal(s) such as nitrosative stress and iron starvation for precise regulation of vvhBA transcription, thereby enabling successful host infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garam Choi
- National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Kyung Ku Jang
- National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Jong Gyu Lim
- National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Zee-Won Lee
- National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Hanhyeok Im
- National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Sang Ho Choi
- National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea.
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Getz LJ, Thomas NA. The Transcriptional Regulator HlyU Positively Regulates Expression of exsA, Leading to Type III Secretion System 1 Activation in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. J Bacteriol 2018; 200:e00653-17. [PMID: 29440251 DOI: 10.1128/JB.00653-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a marine bacterium that is globally recognized as the leading cause of seafood-borne gastroenteritis. V. parahaemolyticus uses various toxins and two type 3 secretion systems (T3SS-1 and T3SS-2) to subvert host cells during infection. We previously determined that V. parahaemolyticus T3SS-1 activity is upregulated by increasing the expression level of the master regulator ExsA under specific growth conditions. In this study, we set out to identify V. parahaemolyticus genes responsible for linking environmental and growth signals to exsA gene expression. Using transposon mutagenesis in combination with a sensitive and quantitative luminescence screen, we identify HlyU and H-NS as two antagonistic regulatory proteins controlling the expression of exsA and, hence, T3SS-1 in V. parahaemolyticus Disruption of hns leads to constitutive unregulated exsA gene expression, consistent with its known role in repressing exsA transcription. In contrast, genetic disruption of hlyU completely abrogated exsA expression and T3SS-1 activity. A V. parahaemolyticushlyU null mutant was significantly deficient for T3SS-1-mediated host cell death during in vitro infection. DNA footprinting studies with purified HlyU revealed a 56-bp protected DNA region within the exsA promoter that contains an inverted repeat sequence. Genetic evidence suggests that HlyU acts as a derepressor, likely by displacing H-NS from the exsA promoter, leading to exsA gene expression and appropriately regulated T3SS-1 activity. Overall, the data implicate HlyU as a critical positive regulator of V. parahaemolyticus T3SS-1-mediated pathogenesis.IMPORTANCE Many Vibrio species are zoonotic pathogens, infecting both animals and humans, resulting in significant morbidity and, in extreme cases, mortality. While many Vibrio species virulence genes are known, their associated regulation is often modestly understood. We set out to identify genetic factors of V. parahaemolyticus that are involved in activating exsA gene expression, a process linked to a type III secretion system involved in host cytotoxicity. We discover that V. parahaemolyticus employs a genetic regulatory switch involving H-NS and HlyU to control exsA promoter activity. While HlyU is a well-known positive regulator of Vibrio species virulence genes, this is the first report linking it to a transcriptional master regulator and type III secretion system paradigm.
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Gao H, Xu J, Lu X, Li J, Lou J, Zhao H, Diao B, Shi Q, Zhang Y, Kan B. Expression of Hemolysin Is Regulated Under the Collective Actions of HapR, Fur, and HlyU in Vibrio cholerae El Tor Serogroup O1. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1310. [PMID: 29971055 PMCID: PMC6018088 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The biotype El Tor of serogroup O1 and most of the non-O1/non-O139 strains of Vibrio cholerae can produce an extracellular pore-forming toxin known as cholera hemolysin (HlyA). Expression of HlyA has been previously reported to be regulated by the quorum sensing (QS) and the regulatory proteins HlyU and Fur, but lacks the direct evidence for their binding to the promoter of hlyA. In the present work, we showed that the QS regulator HapR, along with Fur and HlyU, regulates the transcription of hlyA in V. cholerae El Tor biotype. At the late mid-logarithmic growth phase, HapR binds to the three promoters of fur, hlyU, and hlyA to repress their transcription. At the early mid-logarithmic growth phase, Fur binds to the promoters of hlyU and hlyA to repress their transcription; meanwhile, HlyU binds to the promoter of hlyA to activate its transcription, but it manifests direct inhibition of its own gene. The highest transcriptional level of hlyA occurs at an OD600 value of around 0.6–0.7, which may be due to the subtle regulation of HapR, Fur, and HlyU. The complex regulation of HapR, Fur, and HlyU on hlyA would be beneficial to the invasion and pathogenesis of V. cholerae during the different infection stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jialiang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry, School of Food and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Lou
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Hongqun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Baowei Diao
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Qiannan Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yiquan Zhang
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Biao Kan
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
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Jang KK, Lee ZW, Kim B, Jung YH, Han HJ, Kim MH, Kim BS, Choi SH. Identification and characterization of Vibrio vulnificus plpA encoding a phospholipase A 2 essential for pathogenesis. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:17129-17143. [PMID: 28855258 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.791657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The marine bacterium Vibrio vulnificus causes food-borne diseases, which may lead to life-threatening septicemia in some individuals. Therefore, identifying virulence factors in V. vulnificus is of high priority. We performed a transcriptome analysis on V. vulnificus after infection of human intestinal HT29-methotrexate cells and found induction of plpA, encoding a putative phospholipase, VvPlpA. Bioinformatics, biochemical, and genetic analyses demonstrated that VvPlpA is a phospholipase A2 secreted in a type II secretion system-dependent manner. Compared with the wild type, the plpA mutant exhibited reduced mortality, systemic infection, and inflammation in mice as well as low cytotoxicity toward the human epithelial INT-407 cells. Moreover, plpA mutation attenuated the release of actin and cytosolic cyclophilin A from INT-407 cells, indicating that VvPlpA is a virulence factor essential for causing lysis and necrotic death of the epithelial cells. plpA transcription was growth phase-dependent, reaching maximum levels during the early stationary phase. Also, transcription factor HlyU and cAMP receptor protein (CRP) mediate additive activation and host-dependent induction of plpA Molecular biological analyses revealed that plpA expression is controlled via the promoter, P plpA , and that HlyU and CRP directly bind to P plpA upstream sequences. Taken together, this study demonstrated that VvPlpA is a type II secretion system-dependent secretory phospholipase A2 regulated by HlyU and CRP and is essential for the pathogenicity of V. vulnificus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung Ku Jang
- From the National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, and
| | - Zee-Won Lee
- From the National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, and
| | - Bityeoul Kim
- From the National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, and
| | - Young Hyun Jung
- the Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute for Veterinary Medicine, BK21 PLUS Creative Veterinary Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea and
| | - Ho Jae Han
- the Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute for Veterinary Medicine, BK21 PLUS Creative Veterinary Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea and
| | - Myung Hee Kim
- the Infection and Immunity Research Laboratory, Metabolic Regulation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Byoung Sik Kim
- the Infection and Immunity Research Laboratory, Metabolic Regulation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Sang Ho Choi
- From the National Research Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Toxicology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, and
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