scholarly journals Pseudomonas syringae Evades Host Immunity by Degrading Flagellin Monomers with Alkaline Protease AprA

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 603-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiel J. C. Pel ◽  
Anja J. H. van Dijken ◽  
Bart W. Bardoel ◽  
Michael F. Seidl ◽  
Sjoerd van der Ent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Alkaline Protease ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Host Immunity ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Knockout Mutant ◽  
Inhibitory Peptide

Bacterial flagellin molecules are strong inducers of innate immune responses in both mammals and plants. The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes an alkaline protease called AprA that degrades flagellin monomers. Here, we show that AprA is widespread among a wide variety of bacterial species. In addition, we investigated the role of AprA in virulence of the bacterial plant pathogen P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000. The AprA-deficient DC3000 ΔaprA knockout mutant was significantly less virulent on both tomato and Arabidopsis thaliana. Moreover, infiltration of A. thaliana Col-0 leaves with DC3000 ΔaprA evoked a significantly higher level of expression of the defense-related genes FRK1 and PR-1 than did wild-type DC3000. In the flagellin receptor mutant fls2, pathogen virulence and defense-related gene activation did not differ between DC3000 and DC3000 ΔaprA. Together, these results suggest that AprA of DC3000 is important for evasion of recognition by the FLS2 receptor, allowing wild-type DC3000 to be more virulent on its host plant than AprA-deficient DC3000 ΔaprA. To provide further evidence for the role of DC3000 AprA in host immune evasion, we overexpressed the AprA inhibitory peptide AprI of DC3000 in A. thaliana to counteract the immune evasive capacity of DC3000 AprA. Ectopic expression of aprI in A. thaliana resulted in an enhanced level of resistance against wild-type DC3000, while the already elevated level of resistance against DC3000 ΔaprA remained unchanged. Together, these results indicate that evasion of host immunity by the alkaline protease AprA is important for full virulence of strain DC3000 and likely acts by preventing flagellin monomers from being recognized by its cognate immune receptor.

scholarly journals The AC4 Protein of a Cassava Geminivirus Is Required for Virus Infection

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 865-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kegui Chen ◽  
Behnam Khatabi ◽  
Vincent N. Fondong
Keyword(s):  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Wild Type Virus ◽  
Virus Infectivity ◽  
Type Virus ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Knockout Mutant ◽  
East African ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Cell Membrane Binding

Geminiviruses (family Geminiviridae) are among the most devastating plant viruses worldwide, causing severe damage in crops of economic and subsistence importance. These viruses have very compact genomes and many of the encoded proteins are multifunctional. Here, we investigated the role of the East African cassava mosaic Cameroon virus (EACMCV) AC4 on virus infectivity in Nicotiana benthamiana. Results showed that plants inoculated with EACMCV containing a knockout mutation in an AC4 open reading frame displayed symptoms 2 to 3 days later than plants inoculated with wild-type virus, and these plants recovered from infection, whereas plants inoculated with the wild-type virus did not. Curiously, when an additional mutation was made in the knockout mutant, the resulting double mutant virus completely failed to cause any apparent symptoms. Interestingly, the role of AC4 on virus infectivity appeared to be dependent on an encoded N-myristoylation motif that mediates cell membrane binding. We previously showed that EACMCV containing the AC4T38I mutant produced virus progeny characterized by second-site mutations and reversion to wild-type virus. These results were confirmed in this study using additional mutations. Together, these results show involvement of EACMCV AC4 in virus infectivity; they also suggest a role for the combined action of mutation and selection, under prevailing environmental conditions, on begomovirus genetic variation and diversity.

scholarly journals Legionella pneumophila Entry GenertxA Is Involved in Virulence

2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 508-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suat L. G. Cirillo ◽  
Luiz E. Bermudez ◽  
Sahar H. El-Etr ◽  
Gerald E. Duhamel ◽  
Jeffrey D. Cirillo
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Intracellular Pathogen ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Integrin Receptors ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Cell Spread ◽  
Gain Access

ABSTRACT Successful parasitism of host cells by intracellular pathogens involves adherence, entry, survival, intracellular replication, and cell-to-cell spread. Our laboratory has been examining the role of early events, adherence and entry, in the pathogenesis of the facultative intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila. Currently, the mechanisms used by L. pneumophila to gain access to the intracellular environment are not well understood. We have recently isolated three loci, designated enh1,enh2, and enh3, that are involved in the ability of L. pneumophila to enter host cells. One of the genes present in the enh1 locus, rtxA, is homologous to repeats in structural toxin genes (RTX) found in many bacterial pathogens. RTX proteins from other bacterial species are commonly cytotoxic, and some of them have been shown to bind to β2 integrin receptors. In the current study, we demonstrate that the L. pneumophila rtxA gene is involved in adherence, cytotoxicity, and pore formation in addition to its role in entry. Furthermore, an rtxA mutant does not replicate as well as wild-type L. pneumophila in monocytes and is less virulent in mice. Thus, we conclude that the entry genertxA is an important virulence determinant in L. pneumophila and is likely to be critical for the production of Legionnaires' disease in humans.

scholarly journals The Regulator PerR Is Involved in Oxidative Stress Response and Iron Homeostasis and Is Necessary for Full Virulence of Streptococcus pyogenes

2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 4968-4976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Ricci ◽  
Robert Janulczyk ◽  
Lars Björck
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Streptococcus Pyogenes ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Metal Binding ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Transcriptional Analysis ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Allelic Replacement

ABSTRACT Ferric uptake regulator (Fur) and Fur-like proteins form an important family of transcriptional regulators in many bacterial species. In this work we have characterized a Fur-like protein, the peroxide regulator PerR, in an M1 serotype of Streptococcus pyogenes. To determine the role of PerR in S. pyogenes, we inactivated the gene by allelic replacement. PerR-deficient bacteria showed 48% reduction of 55Fe incorporation from the culture medium. Transcriptional analysis revealed that mtsA, encoding a metal-binding protein of an ABC transporter in S. pyogenes, was transcribed at lower levels than were wild-type cells. Although total iron accumulation was reduced, the growth of the mutant strain was not significantly hampered. The mutant showed hyperresistance to hydrogen peroxide, and this response was induced in wild-type cells by growth in aerobiosis, suggesting that PerR acts as an oxidative stress-responsive repressor. PerR may also participate in the response to superoxide stress, as the perR mutant was more sensitive to the superoxide anion and had a reduced transcription of sodA, which encodes the sole superoxide dismutase of S. pyogenes. Complementation of the mutation with a functional perR gene restored 55Fe incorporation, response to peroxide stress, and transcription of both mtsA and sodA to levels comparable to those of wild-type bacteria. Finally, the perR mutant was attenuated in virulence in a murine air sac model of infection (P < 0.05). These results demonstrate that PerR is involved in the regulation of iron homeostasis and oxidative stress responses and that it contributes to the virulence of S. pyogenes.

scholarly journals Role of Jasmonic Acid Pathway in Tomato Plant-Pseudomonas syringae Interaction

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loredana Scalschi ◽  
Eugenio Llorens ◽  
Pilar García-Agustín ◽  
Begonya Vicedo
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Salicylic Acid ◽  
Jasmonic Acid ◽  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Tomato Plant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Tomato Plants ◽  
Bacterial Pathogenicity ◽  
Acid Pathway

The jasmonic acid pathway has been considered as the backbone of the response against necrotrophic pathogens. However, a hemi-biotrophic pathogen, such as Pseudomonas syringae, has taken advantage of the crosstalk between the different plant hormones in order to manipulate the responses for its own interest. Despite that, the way in which Pseudomonas syringae releases coronatine to activate jasmonic acid-derived responses and block the activation of salicylic acid-mediated responses is widely known. However, the implication of the jasmonic intermediates in the plant-Pseudomonas interaction is not studied yet. In this work, we analyzed the response of both, plant and bacteria using SiOPR3 tomato plants. Interestingly, SiOPR3 plants are more resistant to infection with Pseudomonas. The gene expression of bacteria showed that, in SiOPR3 plants, the activation of pathogenicity is repressed in comparison to wild type plants, suggesting that the jasmonic acid pathway might play a role in the pathogenicity of the bacteria. Moreover, treatments with JA restore the susceptibility as well as activate the expression of bacterial pathogenicity genes. The observed results suggest that a complete jasmonic acid pathway is necessary for the susceptibility of tomato plants to Pseudomonas syringae.

scholarly journals Novel Role for the Streptococcus pneumoniae Toxin Pneumolysin in the Assembly of Biofilms

mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua R. Shak ◽  
Herbert P. Ludewick ◽  
Kristen E. Howery ◽  
Fuminori Sakai ◽  
Hong Yi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Hemolytic Activity ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Early Time ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Knockout Mutant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Biofilm Development ◽  
Almost All

ABSTRACTStreptococcus pneumoniaeis an important commensal and pathogen responsible for almost a million deaths annually in children under five. The formation of biofilms byS. pneumoniaeis important in nasopharyngeal colonization, pneumonia, and otitis media. Pneumolysin (Ply) is a toxin that contributes significantly to the virulence ofS. pneumoniaeand is an important candidate as a serotype-independent vaccine target. Having previously demonstrated that aluxSknockout mutant was unable to form early biofilms and expressed lessplymRNA than the wild type, we conducted a study to investigate the role of Ply in biofilm formation. We found that Ply was expressed in early phases of biofilm development and localized to cellular aggregates as early as 4 h postinoculation.S. pneumoniae plyknockout mutants in D39 and TIGR4 backgrounds produced significantly less biofilm biomass than wild-type strains at early time points, both on polystyrene and on human respiratory epithelial cells, cultured under static or continuous-flow conditions. Ply’s role in biofilm formation appears to be independent of its hemolytic activity, asS. pneumoniaeserotype 1 strains, which produce a nonhemolytic variant of Ply, were still able to form biofilms. Transmission electron microscopy of biofilms grown on A549 lung cells using immunogold demonstrated that Ply was located both on the surfaces of pneumococcal cells and in the extracellular biofilm matrix. Altogether, our studies demonstrate a novel role for pneumolysin in the assembly ofS. pneumoniaebiofilms that is likely important during both carriage and disease and therefore significant for pneumolysin-targeting vaccines under development.IMPORTANCEThe bacteriumStreptococcus pneumoniae(commonly known as the pneumococcus) is commonly carried in the human nasopharynx and can spread to other body sites to cause disease. In the nasopharynx, middle ear, and lungs, the pneumococcus forms multicellular surface-associated structures called biofilms. Pneumolysin is an important toxin produced by almost allS. pneumoniaestrains, extensively studied for its ability to cause damage to human tissue. In this paper, we demonstrate that pneumolysin has a previously unrecognized role in biofilm formation by showing that strains without pneumolysin are unable to form the same amount of biofilm on plastic and human cell substrates. Furthermore, we show that the role of pneumolysin in biofilm formation is separate from the hemolytic activity responsible for tissue damage during pneumococcal diseases. This novel role for pneumolysin suggests that pneumococcal vaccines directed against this protein should be investigated for their potential impact on biofilms formed during carriage and disease.

scholarly journals Role of RppA in the Regulation of Polymyxin B Susceptibility, Swarming, and Virulence Factor Expression in Proteus mirabilis

2008 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 2051-2062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Won-Bo Wang ◽  
I-Chun Chen ◽  
Sin-Sien Jiang ◽  
Hui-Ru Chen ◽  
Chia-Yu Hsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cytotoxic Activity ◽  
Proteus Mirabilis ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Polymyxin B ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Knockout Mutant ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Tract Infections

ABSTRACT Proteus mirabilis, a human pathogen that frequently causes urinary tract infections, is intrinsically highly resistant to cationic antimicrobial peptides, such as polymyxin B (PB). To explore the mechanisms underlying P. mirabilis resistance to PB, a mutant which displayed increased (>160-fold) sensitivity to PB was identified by transposon mutagenesis. This mutant was found to have Tn5 inserted into a novel gene, rppA. Sequence analysis indicated that rppA may encode a response regulator of the two-component system and is located upstream of the rppB gene, which may encode a membrane sensor kinase. An rppA knockout mutant of P. mirabilis had an altered lipopolysaccharide (LPS) profile. The LPS purified from the rppA knockout mutant could bind more PB than the LPS purified from the wild type. These properties of the rppA knockout mutant may contribute to its PB-sensitive phenotype. The rppA knockout mutant exhibited greater swarming motility and cytotoxic activity and expressed higher levels of flagellin and hemolysin than the wild type, suggesting that RppA negatively regulates swarming, hemolysin expression, and cytotoxic activity in P. mirabilis. PB could modulate LPS synthesis and modification, swarming, hemolysin expression, and cytotoxic activity in P. mirabilis through an RppA-dependent pathway, suggesting that PB could serve as a signal to regulate RppA activity. Finally, we demonstrated that the expression of rppA was up-regulated by a low concentration of PB and down-regulated by a high concentration of Mg2+. Together, these data highlight the essential role of RppA in regulating PB susceptibility and virulence functions in P. mirabilis.

scholarly journals Role of Phosphoglucomutase of Bordetella bronchiseptica in Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthesis and Virulence

2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 4673-4680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas P. West ◽  
Heidrun Jungnitz ◽  
John T. Fitter ◽  
Jason D. McArthur ◽  
Carlos A. Guzmán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Bordetella Bronchiseptica ◽  
Insertion Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
High Identity ◽  
Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthesis

ABSTRACT The phosphoglucomutase (PGM)-encoding gene of Bordetella bronchiseptica is required for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis. An insertion mutant of the wild-type B. bronchiseptica strain BB7865 which disrupted LPS biosynthesis was created and characterized (BB7865pgm). Genetic analysis of the mutated gene showed it shares high identity with PGM genes of various bacterial species and forms part of an operon which also encompasses the gene encoding phosphoglucose isomerase. Functional assays for PGM revealed that enzyme activity is expressed in bothbvg-positive and bvg-negative strains ofB. bronchiseptica and is substantially reduced in BB7865pgm. Complementation of the mutated PGM gene with that from BB7865 restored the wild-type condition for all phenotypes tested. The ability of the mutant BB7865pgm to survive within J774.A1 cells was significantly reduced at 2 h (40% reduction) and 24 h (56% reduction) postinfection. BB7865pgm was also significantly attenuated in its ability to survive in vivo following intranasal infection of mice, being effectively cleared from the lungs within 4 days, whereas the wild-type strain persisted at least 35 days. The activities of superoxide dismutase, urease, and acid phosphatase were unaffected in the PGM-deficient strain. In contrast, the inability to produce wild-type LPS resulted in a reduced bacterial resistance to oxidative stress and a higher susceptibility to the antimicrobial peptide cecropin P.

scholarly journals The Role of Ethylene Production in Virulence of Pseudomonas syringae pvs. glycinea and phaseolicola

2001 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 511-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helge Weingart ◽  
Henriette Ullrich ◽  
Klaus Geider ◽  
Beate Völksch
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Ethylene Production ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Soybean Plants ◽  
Type Strains

The importance of ethylene production for virulence of Pseudomonas syringae pvs. glycinea and phaseolicola was assayed by comparing bacterial multiplication and symptom development in bean and soybean plants inoculated with ethylene-negative (efe) mutants and wild-type strains. The efe mutants of Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea were significantly reduced in their ability to grow in planta. However, the degree of reduction was strain-dependent. Population sizes of efe mutant 16/83-E1 that did not produce the phototoxin coronatine were 10- and 15-fold lower than those of the wild-type strain on soybean and on bean, and 16/83-E1 produced very weak symptoms compared with the wild-type strain. The coronatine-producing efe mutant 7a/90-E1 reached fourfold and twofold lower population sizes compared with the wild-type strain on soybean and bean, respectively, and caused disease symptoms typical of the wild-type strain. Experiments with ethylene-insensitive soybeans confirmed these results. The virulence of the wild-type strains was reduced to the same extent in ethylene-insensitive soybean plants as the virulence of the efe mutants in ethylene-susceptible soybeans. In contrast, the virulence of Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola was not affected by disruption of the efe gene.

scholarly journals Pseudomonas syringaeIncreases Water Availability in Leaf Microenvironments via Production of Hygroscopic Syringafactin

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica N. Hernandez ◽  
Steven E. Lindow
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gfp Fluorescence ◽  
Leaf Surfaces ◽  
Leaf Apoplast

ABSTRACTThe epiphytic bacteriumPseudomonas syringaestrain B728a produces the biosurfactant syringafactin which is hygroscopic. The water absorbing potential of syringafactin is high. At high relative humidities, syringafactin attracts 250% of its weight in water but is less hygroscopic at lower relative humidities. This suggests that syringafactin’s benefit to the producing cells is strongly context-dependent. The contribution of syringafactin to the water availability around cells on different matrices was assessed by examining water availability biosensor strains that expressgfpvia the water-stress activatedproUpromoter. Wild-type cells exhibited significantly less GFP fluorescence than a syringafactin-deficient strain, on humid but dry filters as well as on leaf surfaces indicating higher water availability. When infiltrated into the leaf apoplast, wild-type cells also subsequently exhibited less GFP fluorescence than a syringafactin-deficient strain. These results suggest that the apoplast is a dry, but humid environment and that, just as on dry but humid leaf surfaces, syringafactin increases liquid water availability and reduces the water stress experienced byP. syringae.IMPORTANCEMany microorganisms, including the plant pathogenPseudomonas syringae, produce amphiphilic compounds known as biosurfactants. While biosurfactants are known to disperse hydrophobic compounds and reduce water tension, they have other properties that can benefit the cells that produce them. Leaf colonizing bacteria experience frequent water stress since liquid water is only transiently present on or in leaf sites that they colonize. The demonstration that syringafactin, a biosurfactant produced byP. syringae, is sufficiently hygroscopic to increase water availability to cells, thus relieving water stress, reveals thatP. syringaecan modify its local habitat both on leaf surfaces and in the leaf apoplast. Such habitat modification may be a common role for biosurfactants produced by other bacterial species that colonize habitats that are not always water saturated such as soil.

scholarly journals Role of rpoS in Stress Survival and Virulence of Vibrio cholerae

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fitnat H. Yildiz ◽  
Gary K. Schoolnik
Keyword(s):  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Genomic Library ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Infant Mouse ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

ABSTRACT Vibrio cholerae is known to persist in aquatic environments under nutrient-limiting conditions. To analyze the possible involvement of the alternative sigma factor encoded byrpoS, which is shown to be important for survival during nutrient deprivation in several other bacterial species, a V. cholerae rpoS homolog was cloned by functional complementation of an Escherichia coli mutant by using a wild-type genomic library. Sequence analysis of the complementing clone revealed an 1.008-bp open reading frame which is predicted to encode a 336-amino-acid protein with 71 to 63% overall identity to other reported rpoS gene products. To determine the functional role of rpoS in V. cholerae, we inactivatedrpoS by homologous recombination. V. choleraestrains lacking rpoS are impaired in the ability to survive diverse environmental stresses, including exposure to hydrogen peroxide, hyperosmolarity, and carbon starvation. These results suggest that rpoS may be required for the persistence of V. cholerae in aquatic habitats. In addition, the rpoSmutation led to reduced production or secretion of hemagglutinin/protease. However, rpoS is not critical for in vivo survival, as determined by an infant mouse intestinal competition assay.

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