The ColR/S two-component system is a conserved determinant of host association across Pseudomonas species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina L Wiesmann ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Morgan Alford ◽  
David Thoms ◽  
Melanie Dostert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Core Genome ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Host Association ◽  
Component System ◽  
Rhizosphere Colonization ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Pseudomonas Species ◽  
System Part ◽  
Sense And Respond

Members of the bacterial genus Pseudomonas form mutualistic, commensal and pathogenic associations with diverse hosts. The prevalence of host association across the genus suggests that symbiosis may be a conserved ancestral trait and that distinct symbiotic lifestyles may be more recently evolved. Here we show that the ColR/S two-component system, part of the Pseudomonas core genome, is functionally conserved between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Using plant rhizosphere colonization and virulence in a murine abscess model, we show that colR is required for commensalism with plants and virulence in animals. Comparative transcriptomics revealed that the ColR regulon has diverged between P. aeruginosa and P. fluorescens and deleting components of the ColR regulon revealed strain-specific, but not host specific, requirements for ColR-dependent genes. Collectively, our results suggest that ColR/S allows Pseudomonas to sense and respond to a host, but that the ColR-regulon has diverged between Pseudomonas strains with distinct lifestyles.

scholarly journals The two-component system CopRS maintains femtomolar levels of free copper in the periplasm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using a phosphatase-based mechanism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena Novoa-Aponte ◽  
Fernando C. Soncini ◽  
José M. Argüello
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Phosphatase Activity ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Redox Enzymes ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Component System ◽  
Component Systems ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Two Component Systems ◽  
Systems Control

ABSTRACTTwo component systems control periplasmic Cu+ homeostasis in Gram-negative bacteria. In characterized systems such as Escherichia coli CusRS, upon Cu+ binding to the periplasmic sensing domain of CusS, a cytoplasmic phosphotransfer domain phosphorylates the response regulator CusR. This drives the expression of efflux transporters, chaperones, and redox enzymes to ameliorate metal toxic effects. Here, we show that the Pseudomonas aeruginosa two component sensor histidine kinase CopS exhibits a Cu-dependent phosphatase activity that maintains a non-phosphorylated CopR when the periplasmic Cu levels are below its activation threshold. Upon Cu+ binding to the sensor, the phosphatase activity is blocked and the phosphorylated CopR activates transcription of the CopRS regulon. Supporting the model, mutagenesis experiments revealed that the ΔcopS strain showed constitutive high expression of the CopRS regulon, lower intracellular Cu+ levels, and larger Cu tolerance when compared to wild type cells. The invariant phospho-acceptor residue His235 of CopS was not required for the phosphatase activity itself, but necessary for its Cu-dependency. To sense the metal, the periplasmic domain of CopS binds two Cu+ ions at its dimeric interface. Homology modeling of CopS based on CusS structure (four Ag+ binding sites) clearly explains the different binding stoichiometries in both systems. Interestingly, CopS binds Cu+/2+ with 30 × 10−15 M affinities, pointing to the absence of free (hydrated) Cu+/2+ in the periplasm.IMPORTANCECopper is a micronutrient required as cofactor in redox enzymes. When free, copper is toxic, mismetallating proteins, and generating damaging free radicals. Consequently, copper overload is a strategy that eukaryotic cells use to combat pathogens. Bacteria have developed copper sensing transcription factors to control copper homeostasis. The cell envelope is the first compartment that has to cope with copper stress. Dedicated two component systems control the periplasmic response to metal overload. This manuscript shows that the copper sensing two component system present in Pseudomonadales exhibits a signal-dependent phosphatase activity controlling the activation of the response regulator, distinct from previously described periplasmic Cu sensors. Importantly, the data show that the sensor is activated by copper levels compatible with the absence of free copper in the cell periplasm. This emphasizes the diversity of molecular mechanisms that have evolved in various bacteria to manage the copper cellular distribution.

The PprA-PprB two-component system activates CupE, the first non-archetypal Pseudomonas aeruginosa chaperone-usher pathway system assembling fimbriae

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 666-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Giraud ◽  
Christophe S. Bernard ◽  
Virginie Calderon ◽  
Liang Yang ◽  
Alain Filloux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Component System ◽  
Two Component

scholarly journals Carbon starvation induces the expression of PprB-regulated genes inPesudomonas aeruginosa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Congcong Wang ◽  
Wenhui Chen ◽  
Aiguo Xia ◽  
Rongrong Zhang ◽  
Yajia Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Carbon Starvation ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Starvation Stress ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Component System ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Cell Cell

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosacan cause severe infections in humans. This bacteria often adopt a biofilm lifestyle that is hard to treat. In several previous studies, the PprA-PprB two-component system (TCS), which controls the expression of type IVb pili, BapA adhesin, and CupE fimbriae, was shown to be involved in biofilm formation. However, signals or environmental conditions that can trigger the PprA-PprB TCS are still unknown, and the molecular mechanisms of PprB-mediated biofilm formation are poorly characterized. Here we report that carbon starvation stress (CCS) can induce the expression ofpprBand genes in the PprB regulon. The stress response sigma factor RpoS, rather than the two-component sensor PprA, was determined to mediate the induction ofpprBtranscription. We also observed a strong negative regulation of PprB to the transcription of itself. Further experiments showed that PprB overexpression greatly enhanced cell-cell adhesion (CCA) and cell-surface adhesion (CSA) inP. aeruginosa. Specially, under the background of PprB overexpression, both of the BapA adhesin and CupE fimbriae displayed positive effect on CCA and CSA, while the type IVb pili showed an unexpected negative effect on CCA and no effect on CSA. In addition, expression of the PprB regulon genes displayed significant increases in 3-day colony biofilms, indicating a possible carbon limitation state in these biofilms. The CSS-RpoS-PprB-Bap/Flp/CupE/Tad pathway identified in this study provides a new perspective on the process of biofilm formation under carbon-limited environments.IMPORTANCETypically, determining the external signals that can trigger a regulatory system is crucial to understand the regulatory logic and inward function of that system. The PprA-PprB two-component system was reported to be involved in biofilm formation inPseudomonas aeruginosa, but the signals that can trigger this system are unknown. In this study, we found that carbon starvation stress (CSS) can induce the transcription ofpprBand genes in PprB regulon, through an RpoS dependent pathway. Increase of PprB expression leads to enhanced cell-cell and cell-surface adhesions inP. aeruginosa,both of which are dependent mainly on the Bap adhesin secretion system and partially on the CupE fimbriae. Our findings suggest that PprB reinforces the structure of biofilms under carbon-limited conditions, and the Bap secretion system and CupE fimbriae are two potential targets for biofilm treatment.

scholarly journals ThePseudomonas aeruginosaPilSR Two-Component System Regulates Both Twitching and Swimming Motilities

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara L. N. Kilmury ◽  
Lori L. Burrows
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Type Iv Pili ◽  
Geobacter Sulfurreducens ◽  
Type Iv Pilus ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Component System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Swimming Motility ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Two Component

ABSTRACTMotility is an important virulence trait for many bacterial pathogens, allowing them to position themselves in appropriate locations at appropriate times. The motility structures type IV pili and flagella are also involved in sensing surface contact, which modulates pathogenicity. InPseudomonas aeruginosa, the PilS-PilR two-component system (TCS) regulates expression of the type IV pilus (T4P) major subunit PilA, while biosynthesis of the single polar flagellum is regulated by a hierarchical system that includes the FleSR TCS. Previous studies ofGeobacter sulfurreducensandDichelobacter nodosusimplicated PilR in regulation of non-T4P-related genes, including some involved in flagellar biosynthesis. Here we used transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis to identify genes in addition topilAwith changes in expression in the absence ofpilR. Among the genes identified were 10 genes whose transcription increased in thepilAmutant but decreased in thepilRmutant, despite both mutants lacking T4P and pilus-related phenotypes. The products of these inversely dysregulated genes, many of which were hypothetical, may be important for virulence and surface-associated behaviors, as mutants had altered swarming motility, biofilm formation, type VI secretion system expression, and pathogenicity in a nematode model. Further, the PilSR TCS positively regulated transcription offleSR, and thus many genes in the FleSR regulon. As a result,pilSRdeletion mutants had defects in swimming motility that were independent of the loss of PilA. Together, these data suggest that in addition to controlling T4P expression, PilSR could have a broader role in the regulation ofP. aeruginosamotility and surface sensing behaviors.IMPORTANCESurface appendages such as type IV pili and flagella are important for establishing surface attachment and infection in a host in response to appropriate cues. The PilSR regulatory system that controls type IV pilus expression inPseudomonas aeruginosahas an established role in expression of the major pilin PilA. Here we provide evidence supporting a new role for PilSR in regulating flagellum-dependent swimming motility in addition to pilus-dependent twitching motility. Further, even though bothpilAandpilRmutants lack PilA and pili, we identified sets of genes downregulated in thepilRmutant and upregulated in apilAmutant as well as genes downregulated only in apilRmutant, independent of pilus expression. This finding suggests that change in the inner membrane levels of PilA is only one of the cues to which PilR responds to modulate gene expression. Identification of PilR as a regulator of multiple motility pathways may make it an interesting therapeutic target for antivirulence compounds.

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