scholarly journals Involvement of a Novel TetR-Like Regulator (BdtR) of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens in the Efflux of Isoflavonoid Genistein

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 1411-1423
Author(s):  
Fang Han ◽  
Xueqian He ◽  
Wenwen Chen ◽  
Haoyu Gai ◽  
Xuemei Bai ◽  
...  

A wide variety of leguminous plant-released (iso)flavonoids, such as genistein, are potential inducers of the nodulation (nod) genes of endosymbiotic rhizobia for the production of Nod factors, which are vital signaling molecules for triggering the symbiotic process. However, these (iso)flavonoids are generally thought to be toxic to the bacterial partner to varying degrees. Here, a novel TetR-like regulator gene of the soybean symbiont Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA110, bdtR (systematic designation blr7023), was characterized. It was found to be rapidly and preferentially induced by genistein, and its mutation resulted in significantly increased expression of the neighboring bll7019-bll7021 genes, encoding a multidrug resistance efflux pump system, in the absence of this isoflavonoid. Then, the transcriptional start site of BdtR was determined, and it was revealed that BdtR acted as a transcriptional repressor of the above efflux system through the binding of an AT-rich operator, which could be completely prevented by genistein. In addition, the ΔbdtR deletion mutant strain showed higher accumulation of extracellular genistein and became less susceptible to the isoflavonoid. In contrast, the inactivation of BdtR led to the significantly decreased induction of a nodulation gene (nodY) independent of the expression of nodD1 and nodW and to much weaker nodulation competitiveness. Taken together, the results show that BdtR plays an early sensing role in maintaining the intracellular homeostasis of genistein, helping to alleviate its toxic effect on this bacterium by negatively regulating neighboring genes encoding an efflux pump system while being essentially required for nodule occupancy competitiveness. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

1999 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 2975-2983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Westbrock-Wadman ◽  
David R. Sherman ◽  
Mark J. Hickey ◽  
Silvija N. Coulter ◽  
Ya Qi Zhu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa can employ many distinct mechanisms of resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics; however, in cystic fibrosis patients, more than 90% of aminoglycoside-resistantP. aeruginosa isolates are of the impermeability phenotype. The precise molecular mechanisms that produce aminoglycoside impermeability-type resistance are yet to be elucidated. A subtractive hybridization technique was used to reveal gene expression differences between PAO1 and isogenic, spontaneous aminoglycoside-resistant mutants of the impermeability phenotype. Among the many genes found to be up-regulated in these laboratory mutants were the amrABgenes encoding a recently discovered efflux system. TheamrAB genes appear to be the same as the recently describedmexXY genes; however, the resistance profile that we see inP. aeruginosa is very different from that described forEscherichia coli with mexXY. Direct evidence for AmrAB involvement in aminoglycoside resistance was provided by the deletion of amrB in the PAO1-derived laboratory mutant, which resulted in the restoration of aminoglycoside sensitivity to a level nearly identical to that of the parent strain. Furthermore, transcription of the amrAB genes was shown to be up-regulated in P. aeruginosa clinical isolates displaying the impermeability phenotype compared to a genotypically matched sensitive clinical isolate from the same patient. This suggests the possibility that AmrAB-mediated efflux is a clinically relevant mechanism of aminoglycoside resistance. Although it is unlikely that hyperexpression of AmrAB is the sole mechanism conferring the impermeability phenotype, we believe that the Amr efflux system can contribute to a complex interaction of molecular events resulting in the aminoglycoside impermeability-type resistance phenotype.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel C. Esteves ◽  
Steffen Porwollik ◽  
Michael McClelland ◽  
Birgit E. Scharf

Bacteriophages are the most abundant biological entities in the biosphere. Due to their host specificity and ability to kill bacteria rapidly, bacteriophages have many potential healthcare applications, including therapy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Infection by flagellotropic bacteriophages requires a properly rotating bacterial flagellar filament. The flagella-dependent phage χ (Chi) infects serovars of the pathogenic enterobacterium Salmonella enterica. However, cell surface receptors and proteins involved in other stages of χ infection have not been discovered to date. We screened a multi-gene deletion library of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium by spotting mutants on soft agar plates seeded with bacteriophage χ and monitoring their ability to grow and form a swim ring, a characteristic of bacteriophage-resistant motile mutants. Those multi-gene deletion regions identified to be important for χ infectivity were further investigated by characterizing the phenotypes of corresponding single-gene deletion mutants. This way, we identified motile mutants with varying degrees of resistance to χ. Deletions in individual genes encoding the AcrABZ-TolC multi-drug efflux system drastically reduced infection by bacteriophage χ. Furthermore, an acrABtolC triple deletion strain was fully resistant to χ. Infection was severely reduced but not entirely blocked by the deletion of the gene tig encoding the molecular chaperone trigger factor. Finally, deletion in genes encoding enzymes involved in the synthesis of the antioxidants glutathione (GSH) and uric acid resulted in reduced infectivity. Our findings begin to elucidate poorly understood processes involved in later stages of flagellotropic bacteriophage infection and informs research aimed at the use of bacteriophages to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance is a large concern in the healthcare field. With more multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens emerging, other techniques for eliminating bacterial infections are being explored. Among these is phage therapy, where combinations of specific phages are used to treat infections. Generally, phages utilize cell appendages and surface receptors for the initial attachment to their host. Phages that are flagellotropic are of particular interest because flagella are often important in bacterial virulence, making resistance to attachment of these phages harder to achieve without reducing virulence. This study discovered the importance of a multi-drug efflux pump for the infection of Salmonella enterica by a flagellotropic phage. In theory, if a bacterial pathogen develops phage resistance by altering expression of the efflux pump then the pathogen would simultaneously become more susceptible to the antibiotic substrates of the pump. Thus, co-administering antibiotics and flagellotropic phage may be a particularly potent antibacterial therapy.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (13) ◽  
pp. 4447-4452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Zhang ◽  
Thien-Fah Mah

ABSTRACT Bacteria growing in biofilms are more resistant to antibiotics than their planktonic counterparts. How this transition occurs is unclear, but it is likely there are multiple mechanisms of resistance that act together in order to provide an increased overall level of resistance to the biofilm. We have identified a novel efflux pump in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that is important for biofilm-specific resistance to a subset of antibiotics. Complete deletion of the genes encoding this pump, PA1874 to PA1877 (PA1874-1877) genes, in an P. aeruginosa PA14 background results in an increase in sensitivity to tobramycin, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin, specifically when this mutant strain is growing in a biofilm. This efflux pump is more highly expressed in biofilm cells than in planktonic cells, providing an explanation for why these genes are important for biofilm but not planktonic resistance to antibiotics. Furthermore, expression of these genes in planktonic cells increases their resistance to antibiotics. We have previously shown that ndvB is important for biofilm-specific resistance (T. F. Mah, B. Pitts, B. Pellock, G. C. Walker, P. S. Stewart, and G. A. O'Toole, Nature 426:306-310, 2003). Our discovery that combining the ndvB mutation with the PA1874-1877 gene deletion results in a mutant strain that is more sensitive to antibiotics than either single mutant strain suggests that ndvB and PA1874-1877 contribute to two different mechanisms of biofilm-specific resistance to antibiotics.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iman Halloum ◽  
Albertus Viljoen ◽  
Varun Khanna ◽  
Derek Craig ◽  
Christiane Bouchier ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Available chemotherapeutic options are very limited against Mycobacterium abscessus, which imparts a particular challenge in the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients infected with this rapidly growing mycobacterium. New drugs are urgently needed against this emerging pathogen, but the discovery of active chemotypes has not been performed intensively. Interestingly, however, the repurposing of thiacetazone (TAC), a drug once used to treat tuberculosis, has increased following the deciphering of its mechanism of action and the detection of significantly more potent analogues. We therefore report studies performed on a library of 38 TAC-related derivatives previously evaluated for their antitubercular activity. Several compounds, including D6, D15, and D17, were found to exhibit potent activity in vitro against M. abscessus, Mycobacterium massiliense, and Mycobacterium bolletii clinical isolates from CF and non-CF patients. Similar to TAC in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the three analogues act as prodrugs in M. abscessus, requiring bioactivation by the EthA enzyme, MAB_0985. Importantly, mutations in the transcriptional TetR repressor MAB_4384, with concomitant upregulation of the divergently oriented adjacent genes encoding an MmpS5/MmpL5 efflux pump system, accounted for high cross-resistance levels among all three compounds. Overall, this study uncovered a new mechanism of drug resistance in M. abscessus and demonstrated that simple structural optimization of the TAC scaffold can lead to the development of new drug candidates against M. abscessus infections.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 483
Author(s):  
Marija Ivanov ◽  
Abhilash Kannan ◽  
Dejan S. Stojković ◽  
Jasmina Glamočlija ◽  
Ricardo C. Calhelha ◽  
...  

Candidaalbicans represents one of the most common fungal pathogens. Due to its increasing incidence and the poor efficacy of available antifungals, finding novel antifungal molecules is of great importance. Camphor and eucalyptol are bioactive terpenoid plant constituents and their antifungal properties have been explored previously. In this study, we examined their ability to inhibit the growth of different Candida species in suspension and biofilm, to block hyphal transition along with their impact on genes encoding for efflux pumps (CDR1 and CDR2), ergosterol biosynthesis (ERG11), and cytotoxicity to primary liver cells. Camphor showed excellent antifungal activity with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 0.125–0.35 mg/mL while eucalyptol was active in the range of 2–23 mg/mL. The results showed camphor’s potential to reduce fungal virulence traits, that is, biofilm establishment and hyphae formation. On the other hand, camphor and eucalyptol treatments upregulated CDR1;CDR2 was positively regulated after eucalyptol application while camphor downregulated it. Neither had an impact on ERG11 expression. The beneficial antifungal activities of camphor were achieved with an amount that was non-toxic to porcine liver cells, making it a promising antifungal compound for future development. The antifungal concentration of eucalyptol caused cytotoxic effects and increased expression of efflux pump genes, which suggests that it is an unsuitable antifungal candidate.


2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (24) ◽  
pp. 7145-7152 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.-H. Lee ◽  
C. Rouquette-Loughlin ◽  
J. P. Folster ◽  
W. M. Shafer

ABSTRACT The farAB operon of Neisseria gonorrhoeae encodes an efflux pump which mediates gonococcal resistance to antibacterial fatty acids. It was previously observed that expression of the farAB operon was positively regulated by MtrR, which is a repressor of the mtrCDE-encoded efflux pump system (E.-H. Lee and W. M. Shafer, Mol. Microbiol. 33:839-845, 1999). This regulation was believed to be indirect since MtrR did not bind to the farAB promoter. In this study, computer analysis of the gonococcal genome sequence database, lacZ reporter fusions, and gel mobility shift assays were used to elucidate the regulatory mechanism by which expression of the farAB operon is modulated by MtrR in gonococci. We identified a regulatory protein belonging to the MarR family of transcriptional repressors and found that it negatively controls expression of farAB by directly binding to the farAB promoter. We designated this regulator FarR to signify its role in regulating the farAB operon. We found that MtrR binds to the farR promoter, thereby repressing farR expression. Hence, MtrR regulates farAB in a positive fashion by modulating farR expression. This MtrR regulatory cascade seems to play an important role in adjusting levels of the FarAB and MtrCDE efflux pumps to prevent their excess expression in gonococci.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (20) ◽  
pp. 6809-6814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpita Chatterjee ◽  
Sohini Chaudhuri ◽  
Gargi Saha ◽  
Satadeepa Gupta ◽  
Rukhsana Chowdhury

ABSTRACT Gram-negative bacteria are inherently impermeable to hydrophobic compounds, due to the synergistic activity of the permeability barrier imposed by the outer membrane and energy dependent efflux systems. The gram-negative, enteric pathogen Vibrio cholerae appears to be deficient in both these activities; the outer membrane is not an effective barrier to hydrophobic permeants, presumably due to the presence of exposed phospholipids on the outer leaflet of the outer membrane, and efflux systems are at best only partially active. When V. cholerae was grown in the presence of bile, entry of hydrophobic compounds into the cells was significantly reduced. No difference was detected in the extent of exposed phospholipids on the outer leaflet of the outer membrane between cells grown in the presence or absence of bile. However, in the presence of energy uncouplers, uptake of hydrophobic probes was comparable between cells grown in the presence or absence of bile, indicating that energy-dependent efflux processes may be involved in restricting the entry of hydrophobic permeants into bile grown cells. Indeed, an efflux system(s) is essential for survival of V. cholerae in the presence of bile. Expression of acrAB, encoding an RND family efflux pump, was significantly increased in V. cholerae cells grown in vitro in the presence of bile and also in cells grown in rabbit intestine.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Kourtesi ◽  
Anthony R Ball ◽  
Ying-Ying Huang ◽  
Sanjay M Jachak ◽  
D Mariano A Vera ◽  
...  

Conventional antimicrobials are increasingly ineffective due to the emergence of multidrug-resistance among pathogenic microorganisms. The need to overcome these deficiencies has triggered exploration for novel and unconventional approaches to controlling microbial infections. Multidrug efflux systems (MES) have been a profound obstacle in the successful deployment of antimicrobials. The discovery of small molecule efflux system blockers has been an active and rapidly expanding research discipline. A major theme in this platform involves efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) from natural sources. The discovery methodologies and the available number of natural EPI-chemotypes are increasing. Advances in our understanding of microbial physiology have shed light on a series of pathways and phenotypes where the role of efflux systems is pivotal. Complementing existing antimicrobial discovery platforms such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) with efflux inhibition is a subject under investigation. This core information is a stepping stone in the challenge of highlighting an effective drug development path for EPIs since the puzzle of clinical implementation remains unsolved. This review summarizes advances in the path of EPI discovery, discusses potential avenues of EPI implementation and development, and underlines the need for highly informative and comprehensive translational approaches.


1999 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1301-1303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taiji Nakae ◽  
Akira Nakajima ◽  
Toshihisa Ono ◽  
Kohjiro Saito ◽  
Hiroshi Yoneyama

ABSTRACT We evaluated the roles of the MexAB-OprM efflux pump and β-lactamase in β-lactam resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by constructing OprM-deficient, OprM basal level, and OprM fully expressed mutants from β-lactamase-negative, -inducible, and -overexpressed strains. We conclude that, with the notable exception of imipenem, the MexAB-OprM pump contributes significantly to β-lactam resistance in both β-lactamase-negative and β-lactamase-inducible strains, while the contribution of the MexAB-OprM efflux system is negligible in strains with overexpressed β-lactamase. Overexpression of the efflux pump alone contributes to the high level of β-lactam resistance in the absence of β-lactamase.


Biology ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Olga M. Zając ◽  
Stefan Tyski ◽  
Agnieszka E. Laudy

An increase of nosocomial infections caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains has recently been observed all over the world. The isolation of these bacteria from the blood is of particular concern. In this study we performed the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of 94 S. maltophilia isolates, including isolates from patients hospitalized in a tertiary Warsaw hospital (n = 79) and from outpatients (n = 15). All isolates were found to be susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and minocycline, while 44/94 isolates demonstrated a reduction in susceptibility to levofloxacin. A large genetic variation was observed among the isolates tested by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. A clonal relationship with 100% similarity was observed between isolates within two sub-pulsotypes: the first included nine bloodstream isolates and the second involved six. Multilocus sequence typing showed two new sequence types (ST498 and ST499) deposited in public databases for molecular typing. Moreover, the presence of genes encoding ten different efflux pumps from the resistance-nodulation-division family and the ATP-binding cassette family was shown in the majority of the 94 isolates. The obtained knowledge about the prevalence of efflux pump genes in clinical S. maltophilia strains makes it possible to predict the scale of the risk of resistance emergence in strains as a result of gene overexpression.


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