scholarly journals A novel toxin-antitoxin module SlvT–SlvA governs megaplasmid stability and incites solvent tolerance in Pseudomonas putida S12

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadiastri Kusumawardhani ◽  
David van Dijk ◽  
Rohola Hosseini ◽  
Johannes H. de Winde

AbstractPseudomonas putida S12 is highly tolerant towards organic solvents in saturating concentrations, rendering this microorganism suitable for the industrial production of various aromatic compounds. Previous studies reveal that P. putida S12 contains a single-copy 583 kbp megaplasmid pTTS12. This pTTS12 encodes several important operons and gene clusters facilitating P. putida S12 to survive and grow in the presence of toxic compounds or other environmental stresses. We wished to revisit and further scrutinize the role of pTTS12 in conferring solvent tolerance. To this end, we cured the megaplasmid from P. putida S12 and conclusively confirmed that the SrpABC efflux pump is the major contributor of solvent tolerance on the megaplasmid pTTS12. Importantly, we identified a novel toxin-antitoxin module (proposed gene names slvT and slvA respectively) encoded on pTTS12 which contributes to the solvent tolerant phenotype and is essential in conferring genetic stability to the megaplasmid. Chromosomal introduction of the srp operon in combination with slvAT gene pair created a solvent tolerance phenotype in non-solvent tolerant strains such as P. putida KT2440, E. coli TG1, and E. coli BL21(DE3).ImportanceSustainable alternatives for high-value chemicals can be achieved by using renewable feedstocks in bacterial biocatalysis. However, during bioproduction of such chemicals and biopolymers, aromatic compounds that function as products, substrates or intermediates in the production process may exert toxicity to microbial host cells and limit the production yield. Therefore, solvent-tolerance is a highly preferable trait for microbial hosts in the biobased production of aromatic chemicals and biopolymers. In this study, we revisit the essential role of megaplasmid pTTS12 from solvent-tolerant P. putida S12 for molecular adaptation to organic solvent. In addition to the RND efflux pump (SrpABC), we identified a novel toxin-antitoxin module (SlvAT) which contributes to tolerance in low solvent concentration as well as to genetic stability of pTTS12. These two gene clusters were successfully transferred to non-solvent tolerant strains of P. putida and to E. coli strains to confer and enhance solvent tolerance.

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadiastri Kusumawardhani ◽  
David van Dijk ◽  
Rohola Hosseini ◽  
Johannes H. de Winde

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas putida S12 is highly tolerant of organic solvents in saturating concentrations, rendering this microorganism suitable for the industrial production of various aromatic compounds. Previous studies revealed that P. putida S12 contains the single-copy 583-kbp megaplasmid pTTS12. pTTS12 carries several important operons and gene clusters facilitating P. putida S12 survival and growth in the presence of toxic compounds or other environmental stresses. We wished to revisit and further scrutinize the role of pTTS12 in conferring solvent tolerance. To this end, we cured the megaplasmid from P. putida S12 and conclusively confirmed that the SrpABC efflux pump is the major determinant of solvent tolerance on the megaplasmid pTTS12. In addition, we identified a novel toxin-antitoxin module (proposed gene names slvT and slvA, respectively) encoded on pTTS12 which contributes to the solvent tolerance phenotype and is important for conferring stability to the megaplasmid. Chromosomal introduction of the srp operon in combination with the slvAT gene pair created a solvent tolerance phenotype in non-solvent-tolerant strains, such as P. putida KT2440, Escherichia coli TG1, and E. coli BL21(DE3). IMPORTANCE Sustainable alternatives for high-value chemicals can be achieved by using renewable feedstocks in bacterial biocatalysis. However, during the bioproduction of such chemicals and biopolymers, aromatic compounds that function as products, substrates, or intermediates in the production process may exert toxicity to microbial host cells and limit the production yield. Therefore, solvent tolerance is a highly preferable trait for microbial hosts in the biobased production of aromatic chemicals and biopolymers. In this study, we revisit the essential role of megaplasmid pTTS12 from solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas putida S12 for molecular adaptation to an organic solvent. In addition to the solvent extrusion pump (SrpABC), we identified a novel toxin-antitoxin module (SlvAT) which contributes to short-term tolerance in moderate solvent concentrations, as well as to the stability of pTTS12. These two gene clusters were successfully expressed in non-solvent-tolerant strains of P. putida and Escherichia coli strains to confer and enhance solvent tolerance.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadiastri Kusumawardhani ◽  
Benjamin Furtwängler ◽  
Matthijs Blommestijn ◽  
Adelė Kaltenytė ◽  
Jaap van der Poel ◽  
...  

AbstractPseudomonas putida S12 is intrinsically solvent-tolerant and constitutes a promising platform for biobased production of aromatic compounds and biopolymers. The genome of P. putida S12 consists of a 5.8 Mbp chromosome, and a 580 kbp megaplasmid pTTS12 that carries several gene clusters involved in solvent tolerance. Removal of pTTS12 caused a significant reduction in solvent tolerance. In this study, we succeeded in restoring solvent tolerance in plasmid-cured P. putida S12 using adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE), underscoring the innate solvent-tolerance of this strain.Whole genome sequencing revealed several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a mobile element insertion, enabling ALE-derived strains to survive and sustain growth in the presence of a high toluene concentration (10% v/v). Mutations were identified in an RND efflux pump regulator arpR, resulting in constitutive upregulation of the multifunctional efflux pump ArpABC. SNPs were also found in the intergenic region and subunits of ATP synthase, RNA polymerase subunit β’, global two-component regulatory system (GacA/GacS) and a putative AraC-family transcriptional regulator Afr. RNA-seq analysis further revealed a constitutive down-regulation of energy consuming activities in ALE-derived strains, including flagellar assembly, F0F1 ATP synthase, and membrane transport proteins. Out results indicate that constitutive expression of an alternative solvent extrusion pump in combination with high metabolic flexibility ensures restoration of solvent-tolerance in P. putida S12 lacking its megaplasmid.


Author(s):  
Hadiastri Kusumawardhani ◽  
Benjamin Furtwängler ◽  
Matthijs Blommestijn ◽  
Adelė Kaltenytė ◽  
Jaap van der Poel ◽  
...  

Pseudomonas putida S12 is inherently solvent-tolerant and constitutes a promising platform for biobased production of aromatic compounds and biopolymers. The megaplasmid pTTS12 of P. putida S12 carries several gene clusters involved in solvent tolerance and the removal of this megaplasmid caused a significant reduction in solvent tolerance. In this study, we succeeded in restoring solvent tolerance in the plasmid-cured P. putida S12 using adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE), underscoring the innate solvent-tolerance of this strain. Whole genome sequencing identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a mobile element insertion enabling ALE-derived strains to survive and sustain growth in the presence of a high toluene concentration (10% (vol/vol)). Mutations were identified in an RND efflux pump regulator arpR, resulting in constitutive upregulation of the multifunctional efflux pump ArpABC. SNPs were also found in the intergenic region and subunits of ATP synthase, RNA polymerase subunit β’, global two-component regulatory system (GacA/GacS) and a putative AraC-family transcriptional regulator Afr. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed a constitutive down-regulation of energy consuming activities in ALE-derived strains, such as flagellar assembly, F0F1 ATP synthase, and membrane transport proteins. In summary, constitutive expression of a solvent extrusion pump in combination with high metabolic flexibility enabled the restoration of solvent-tolerance trait in P. putida S12 lacking its megaplasmid. Importance: Sustainable production of high-value chemicals can be achieved by bacterial biocatalysis. However, bioproduction of biopolymers and aromatic compounds may exert stress on the microbial production host and limit the resulting yield. Having a solvent tolerance trait is highly advantageous for microbial hosts used in the biobased production of aromatics. The presence of a megaplasmid has been linked to the solvent tolerance trait of Pseudomonas putida, however, the extent of innate, intrinsic solvent tolerance in this bacterium remained unclear. Using adaptive laboratory evolution, we successfully adapted the plasmid-cured P. putida S12 strain to regain its solvent tolerance. Through these adapted strains, we begin to clarify the causes, origins, limitations, and trade-offs of the intrinsic solvent tolerance in P. putida. This work sheds a light on the possible genetic engineering targets to enhance solvent tolerance in Pseudomonas putida as well as other bacteria.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1782
Author(s):  
Tania Henriquez ◽  
Tom Baldow ◽  
Yat Kei Lo ◽  
Dina Weydert ◽  
Andreas Brachmann ◽  
...  

Bacteria must be able to cope with harsh environments to survive. In Gram-negative bacteria like Pseudomonas species, resistance-nodulation-division (RND) transporters contribute to this task by pumping toxic compounds out of cells. Previously, we found that the RND system TtgABC of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 confers resistance to toxic metal chelators of the bipyridyl group. Here, we report that the incubation of a ttgB mutant in medium containing 2,2’-bipyridyl generated revertant strains able to grow in the presence of this compound. This trait was related to alterations in the pp_2827 locus (homolog of mexS in Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The deletion and complementation of pp_2827 confirmed the importance of the locus for the revertant phenotype. Furthermore, alteration in the pp_2827 locus stimulated expression of the mexEF-oprN operon encoding an RND efflux pump. Deletion and complementation of mexF confirmed that the latter system can compensate the growth defect of the ttgB mutant in the presence of 2,2’-bipyridyl. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a role of pp_2827 (mexS) in the regulation of mexEF-oprN in P. putida KT2440. The results expand the information about the significance of MexEF-OprN in the stress response of P. putida KT2440 and the mechanisms for coping with bipyridyl toxicity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1135-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wuen Ee Foong ◽  
Jochen Wilhelm ◽  
Heng-Keat Tam ◽  
Klaas M Pos

Abstract Objectives To investigate the role of Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS)-type transporters from Acinetobacter baumannii AYE in tigecycline efflux. Methods Two putative tetracycline transporter genes of A. baumannii AYE (tetA and tetG) were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and drug susceptibility assays were conducted with tigecycline and three other tetracycline derivatives. The importance of TetA in tigecycline transport in A. baumannii was determined by complementation of tetA in WT and Resistance Nodulation cell Division (RND) gene knockout strains of A. baumannii ATCC 19606. Gene expression of the MFS-type tetA gene and RND efflux pump genes adeB, adeG and adeJ in A. baumannii AYE in the presence of tigecycline was analysed by quantitative real-time RT–PCR. Results Overproduction of TetA or TetG conferred resistance to doxycycline, minocycline and tetracycline in E. coli. Cells expressing tetA, but not those expressing tetG, conferred resistance to tigecycline, implying that TetA is a determinant for tigecycline transport. A. baumannii WT and RND-knockout strains complemented with plasmid-encoded tetA are significantly less susceptible to tigecycline compared with non-complemented strains. Efflux pump genes tetA and adeG are up-regulated in A. baumannii AYE in the presence of subinhibitory tigecycline concentrations. Conclusions TetA plays an important role in tigecycline efflux of A. baumannii by removing the drug from cytoplasm to periplasm and, subsequently, the RND-type transporters AdeABC and AdeIJK extrude tigecycline across the outer membrane. When challenged with tigecycline, tetA is up-regulated in A. baumannii AYE. Synergy between TetA and the RND-type transporters AdeABC and/or AdeIJK appears necessary for A. baumannii to confer higher tigecycline resistance via drug efflux.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (5) ◽  
pp. 1337-1344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gracia Morales ◽  
Juan Francisco Linares ◽  
Ana Beloso ◽  
Juan Pablo Albar ◽  
José Luis Martínez ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The Crc protein is involved in the repression of several catabolic pathways for the assimilation of some sugars, nitrogenated compounds, and hydrocarbons in Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa when other preferred carbon sources are present in the culture medium (catabolic repression). Crc appears to be a component of a signal transduction pathway modulating carbon metabolism in pseudomonads, although its mode of action is unknown. To better understand the role of Crc, the proteome profile of two otherwise isogenic P. putida strains containing either a wild-type or an inactivated crc allele was compared. The results showed that Crc is involved in the catabolic repression of the hpd and hmgA genes from the homogentisate pathway, one of the central catabolic pathways for aromatic compounds that is used to assimilate intermediates derived from the oxidation of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and several aromatic hydrocarbons. This led us to analyze whether Crc also regulates the expression of the other central catabolic pathways for aromatic compounds present in P. putida. It was found that genes required to assimilate benzoate through the catechol pathway (benA and catBCA) and 4-OH-benzoate through the protocatechuate pathway (pobA and pcaHG) are also negatively modulated by Crc. However, the pathway for phenylacetate appeared to be unaffected by Crc. These results expand the influence of Crc to pathways used to assimilate several aromatic compounds, which highlights its importance as a master regulator of carbon metabolism in P. putida.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e0132416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita J. M. Volkers ◽  
L. Basten Snoek ◽  
Harald J. Ruijssenaars ◽  
Johannes H. de Winde

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (4) ◽  
pp. 937-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilberto Mosqueda ◽  
Juan-Luis Ramos

ABSTRACT Sequence analysis in Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E revealed a second toluene efflux system for toluene metabolism encoded by the ttgDEF genes, which are adjacent to thetod genes. The ttgDEF genes were expressed in response to the presence of aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene and styrene in the culture medium. To characterize the contribution of the TtgDEF system to toluene tolerance in P. putida, site-directed mutagenesis was used to knock out the gene in the wild-type DOT-T1E strain and in a mutant derivative, DOT-T1E-18. This mutant carried a Tn5 insertion in the ttgABCgene cluster, which encodes a toluene efflux pump that is synthesized constitutively. For site-directed mutagenesis, a cassette to knock out the ttgD gene and encoding resistance to tellurite was constructed in vitro and transferred to the corresponding host chromosome via the suicide plasmid pKNG101. Successful replacement of the wild-type sequences with the mutant cassette was confirmed by Southern hybridization. A single ttgD mutant, DOT-T1E-1, and a double mutant with knock outs in the ttgD andttgA genes, DOT-T1E-82, were obtained and characterized for toluene tolerance. This was assayed by the sudden addition of toluene (0.3% [vol/vol]) to the liquid culture medium of cells growing on Luria-Bertani (LB) medium (noninduced) or on LB medium with toluene supplied via the gas phase (induced). Induced cells of the singlettgD mutant were more sensitive to sudden toluene shock than were the wild-type cells; however, noninduced wild-type andttgD mutant cells were equally tolerant to toluene shock. Noninduced cells of the double DOT-T1E-82 mutant did not survive upon sudden toluene shock; however, they still remained viable upon sudden toluene shock if they had been previously induced. These results are discussed in the context of the use of multiple efflux pumps involved in solvent tolerance in P. putida DOT-T1E.


1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gutnick ◽  
David L. Coplin

Fireblight, a disease of apples and pears, is caused by Erwinia amylovora. Mutants of E. amylovora that do not produce the extreacellular polysaccharide (EPS), amylovoran, are avirulent. A similar EPS, stewartan, is produced by E. stewartii, which caused Stewart's wilt of corn, and which has also been implicated in the virulence of this strain. Both stewartan and amylovoran are type 1 capsular polysaccharides, typified by the colanic acid slime produced by Escherichia coli. Extracellular polysaccharide slime and capsules are important for the virulence of bacterial pathogens of plants and animals and to enhance their survival and dissemination outside of the host. The goals of this project were to examine the importance of polysaccharide structure on the pathogenicity and survival properties of three pathogenic bacteria: Erwinia amylovora, Erwinia stewartii and Escherichia coli. The project was a collaboration between the laboratories of Dr. Gutnick (PI, E. coli genetics and biochemistry), Dr. Coplin (co-PI, E. stewartii genetics) and Dr. Geider (unfunded collaborator, E. amylovora genetics and EPS analysis). Structural analysis of the EPSs, sequence analysis of the biosynthetic gene clusters and site-directed mutagenesis of individual cps and ams genes revealed that the three gene clusters shared common features for polysaccharide polymerization, translocation, and precursor synthesis as well as in the modes of transcriptional regulation. Early EPS production resulted in decreased virulence, indicating that EPS, although required for pathogenicity, is anot always advantageous and pathogens must regulate its production carefully.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yogesh Hooda ◽  
Senjuti Saha ◽  
Mohammad S I Sajib ◽  
Hafizur Rahman ◽  
Stephen P Luby ◽  
...  

With rising fluoroquinolone and ceftriaxone-resistant Salmonella Typhi, azithromycin, a macrolide, has become the last oral drug available against typhoid. Between 2009-2016, we isolated 1,082 Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi A strains in Bangladesh, 13 (12 Typhi and 1 Paratyphi A) of which were azithromycin-resistant. When compared to 462 previously sequenced Typhi strains, the genomes of the 12 azithromycin-resistant Typhi strains (4.3.1 sub-clade, H58) harbored an exclusive non-synonymous single-point mutation R717Q in AcrB, an RND-efflux pump. Expression of AcrB-R717Q in E. coli and Typhi strains increased its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for azithromycin by 11- and 3-fold respectively. The azithromycin-resistant Paratyphi A strain also contained a mutation at R717 (R717L), whose introduction in E. coli and Paratyphi A strains increased MIC by 7- and 3-fold respectively, confirming the role of R717 mutations in conferring azithromycin resistance. With increasing azithromycin use, strains with R717 mutations may spread leading to treatment failures, making antibiotic stewardship and vaccine introduction imperative.


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