scholarly journals New Insights into the Enterococcus faecalis CroRS Two-Component System Obtained Using a Differential-Display Random Arbitrarily Primed PCR Approach

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 3738-3741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoann Le Breton ◽  
Cécile Muller ◽  
Yanick Auffray ◽  
Alain Rincé

ABSTRACT Using a modified random arbitrarily primed PCR approach, the operon encoding the Enterococcus faecalis JH2-2 CroRS two-component regulatory system was shown to be repressed during stationary phase, and a CroRS-regulated operon (glnQHMP) was identified. Gel retardation assays showed that the CroR regulator binds specifically to the glnQHMP promoter.

2014 ◽  
Vol 197 (5) ◽  
pp. 861-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumiko Kurabayashi ◽  
Yuko Hirakawa ◽  
Koichi Tanimoto ◽  
Haruyoshi Tomita ◽  
Hidetada Hirakawa

Particular interest in fosfomycin has resurfaced because it is a highly beneficial antibiotic for the treatment of refractory infectious diseases caused by pathogens that are resistant to other commonly used antibiotics. The biological cost to cells of resistance to fosfomycin because of chromosomal mutation is high. We previously found that a bacterial two-component system, CpxAR, induces fosfomycin tolerance in enterohemorrhagicEscherichia coli(EHEC) O157:H7. This mechanism does not rely on irreversible genetic modification and allows EHEC to relieve the fitness burden that results from fosfomycin resistance in the absence of fosfomycin. Here we show that another two-component system, TorSRT, which was originally characterized as a regulatory system for anaerobic respiration utilizing trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), also induces fosfomycin tolerance. Activation of the Tor regulatory pathway by overexpression oftorR, which encodes the response regulator, or addition of TMAO increased fosfomycin tolerance in EHEC. We also show that phosphorylated TorR directly represses the expression ofglpT, a gene that encodes a symporter of fosfomycin and glycerol-3-phosphate, and activation of the TorR protein results in the reduced uptake of fosfomycin by cells. However, cells in which the Tor pathway was activated had an impaired growth phenotype when cultured with glycerol-3-phosphate as a carbon substrate. These observations suggest that the TorSRT pathway is the second two-component system to reversibly control fosfomycin tolerance and glycerol-3-phosphate uptake in EHEC, and this may be beneficial for bacteria by alleviating the biological cost. We expect that this mechanism could be a potential target to enhance the utility of fosfomycin as chemotherapy against multidrug-resistant pathogens.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (3) ◽  
pp. 1105-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng-Mei Jiang ◽  
Michael J. Cieslewicz ◽  
Dennis L. Kasper ◽  
Michael R. Wessels

ABSTRACT Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is frequently carried in the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tract as a commensal organism, yet it has the potential to cause life-threatening infection in newborn infants, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic illness. Regulation of virulence factor expression may affect whether GBS behaves as an asymptomatic colonizer or an invasive pathogen, but little is known about how such factors are controlled in GBS. We now report the characterization of a GBS locus that encodes a two-component regulatory system similar to CsrRS (or CovRS) in Streptococcus pyogenes. Inactivation of csrR, encoding the putative response regulator, in two unrelated wild-type strains of GBS resulted in a marked increase in production of beta-hemolysin/cytolysin and a striking decrease in production of CAMP factor, an unrelated cytolytic toxin. Quantitative RNA hybridization experiments revealed that these two phenotypes were associated with a marked increase and decrease in expression of the corresponding genes, cylE and cfb, respectively. The CsrR mutant strains also displayed increased expression of scpB encoding C5a peptidase. Similar, but less marked, changes in gene expression were observed in CsrS (putative sensor component) mutants, evidence that CsrR and CsrS constitute a functional two-component system. Experimental infection studies in mice demonstrated reduced virulence of both CsrR and CsrS mutant strains relative to the wild type. Together, these results indicate that CsrRS regulates expression of multiple GBS virulence determinants and is likely to play an important role in GBS pathogenesis.


2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (23) ◽  
pp. 7174-7181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunna Choi ◽  
Eduardo A. Groisman ◽  
Dongwoo Shin

ABSTRACT The PhoP/PhoQ two-component system controls several physiological and virulence functions in Salmonella enterica. This system is activated by low Mg2+, acidic pH, and antimicrobial peptides, but the biological consequences resulting from sensing multiple signals are presently unclear. Here, we report that the PhoP/PhoQ system regulates different Salmonella genes depending on whether the inducing signal is acidic pH or low Mg2+. When Salmonella experiences acidic pH, the PhoP/PhoQ system promotes Fe2+ uptake in a process that requires the response regulator RstA, activating transcription of the Fe2+ transporter gene feoB. In contrast, the PhoP-induced RstA protein did not promote feoB expression at neutral pH with low Mg2+. The PhoP/PhoQ system promotes the expression of the Mg2+ transporter mgtA gene only when activated in bacteria starved for Mg2+. This is because mgtA transcription promoted at high Mg2+ concentrations by the acidic-pH-activated PhoP protein failed to reach the mgtA coding region due to the mgtA leader region functioning as a Mg2+ sensor. Our results show that a single two-component regulatory system can regulate distinct sets of genes in response to different input signals.


Microbiology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. 865-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak Kumar Saini ◽  
Vandana Malhotra ◽  
Deepanwita Dey ◽  
Neha Pant ◽  
Taposh K. Das ◽  
...  

Two-component systems play a central role in the adaptation of pathogenic bacteria to the environment prevailing within host tissues. The genes encoding the response regulator DevR (Rv3133c/DosR) and the cytoplasmic portion (DevS201) of the histidine kinase DevS (Rv3132c/DosS), a putative two-component system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, were cloned and the protein products were overexpressed, purified and refolded as N-terminally His6-tagged proteins from Escherichia coli. DevS201 underwent autophosphorylation and participated in rapid phosphotransfer to DevR in a Mg2+-dependent manner. Chemical stability analysis and site-directed mutagenesis implicated the highly conserved residues His395 and Asp54 as the sites of phosphorylation in DevS and DevR, respectively. Mutations in Asp8 and Asp9 residues, postulated to form the acidic Mg2+-binding pocket, and the invariant Lys104 of DevR, abrogated phosphoryl transfer from DevS201 to DevR. DevR–DevS was thus established as a typical two-component regulatory system based on His-to-Asp phosphoryl transfer. Expression of the Rv3134c–devR–devS operon was induced at the RNA level in hypoxic cultures of M. tuberculosis H37Rv and was associated with an increase in the level of DevR protein. However, in a devR mutant strain expressing the N-terminal domain of DevR, induction was observed at the level of RNA expression but not at that of protein. DevS was translated independently of DevR and induction of devS transcripts was not associated with an increase in protein level in either wild-type or mutant strains, reflecting differential regulation of this locus during hypoxia.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (13) ◽  
pp. 4561-4568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Caille ◽  
Claude Rossier ◽  
Karl Perron

ABSTRACT The effects of copper (Cu) on trace metal and antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been investigated. Cu treatments induced resistance not only to this metal but also, surprisingly, to zinc (Zn). Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed that after Cu treatment the transcription of the czcRS two-component system (TCS) operon was enhanced as well as that of the czcCBA operon encoding an efflux pump specific for zinc, cadmium, and cobalt. Cu treatments at the same time caused a decrease in the production of OprD porin, resulting in resistance to the carbapenem antibiotic imipenem. The CzcR regulator was known to repress oprD. However, Cu was still able to decrease the production of OprD and induce imipenem resistance in a czcRS knockout mutant. This strongly suggested that another Cu-dependent regulatory system was acting negatively on oprD expression. TCS regulator genes copR-copS have been shown to be involved in Cu tolerance in P. aeruginosa. qRT-PCR showed that overproduction of the CopR or of the CzcR regulator resulted in increased transcription of the czcC gene as well as in a decrease in oprD gene transcription, either in the wild-type strain or in the czcRS knockout mutant. Overproduction experiments suggest that a metal-dependent mechanism operates at the posttranscriptional level to control the production of the CzcCBA efflux pump. This study shows that CopR is a new negative regulator of OprD porin and that it links Zn, Cu, and imipenem resistances by interacting with the CzcRS TCS.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (23) ◽  
pp. 7666-7674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Fernández-Piñar ◽  
Juan Luis Ramos ◽  
José Juan Rodríguez-Herva ◽  
Manuel Espinosa-Urgel

ABSTRACT A two-component system formed by a sensor histidine kinase and a response regulator has been identified as an element participating in cell density signal transduction in Pseudomonas putida KT2440. It is a homolog of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa RoxS/RoxR system, which in turn belongs to the RegA/RegB family, described in photosynthetic bacteria as a key regulatory element. In KT2440, the two components are encoded by PP_0887 (roxS) and PP_0888 (roxR), which are transcribed in a single unit. Characterization of this two-component system has revealed its implication in redox signaling and cytochrome oxidase activity, as well as in expression of the cell density-dependent gene ddcA, involved in bacterial colonization of plant surfaces. Whole-genome transcriptional analysis has been performed to define the P. putida RoxS/RoxR regulon. It includes genes involved in sugar and amino acid metabolism and the sulfur starvation response and elements of the respiratory chain (a cbb3 cytochrome oxidase, Fe-S clusters, and cytochrome c-related proteins) or genes participating in the maintenance of the redox balance. A putative RoxR recognition element containing a conserved hexamer (TGCCAG) has also been identified in promoters of genes regulated by this two-component system.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (14) ◽  
pp. 4890-4899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ee-Been Goh ◽  
Peggy J. Bledsoe ◽  
Li-Ling Chen ◽  
Prasad Gyaneshwar ◽  
Valley Stewart ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Hierarchical control ensures that facultative bacteria preferentially use the available respiratory electron acceptor with the most positive standard redox potential. Thus, nitrate is used before other electron acceptors such as fumarate for anaerobic respiration. Nitrate regulation is mediated by the NarX-NarL two-component system, which activates the transcription of operons encoding nitrate respiration enzymes and represses the transcription of operons for other anaerobic respiratory enzymes, including enzymes involved in fumarate respiration. These are fumarate reductase (encoded by the frdABCD operon), fumarase B, which generates fumarate from malate, and the DcuB permease for fumarate, malate, and aspartate. The transcription of the corresponding structural genes is activated by the DcuS-DcuR two-component system in response to fumarate or its dicarboxylate precursors. We report results from preliminary transcription microarray experiments that revealed two previously unknown members of the NarL regulon: the aspA gene encoding aspartate-ammonia lyase, which generates fumarate; and the dcuSR operon encoding the dicarboxylate-responsive regulatory system. We measured beta-galactosidase expression from monocopy aspA-lacZ, frdA-lacZ, and dcuS-lacZ operon fusions in response to added nitrate and fumarate and with respect to the dcuR and narL genotypes. Nitrate, acting through the NarX-NarL regulatory system, repressed the transcription of all three operons. Only frdA-lacZ expression, however, was responsive to added fumarate or a dcuR + genotype. Phospho-NarL protein protected operator sites in the aspA and dcuS promoter regions from DNase I cleavage in vitro. The overall results are consistent with the hypothesis that nitrate represses frdA operon transcription not only directly, by repressing frdA promoter activity, but also indirectly, by repressing dcuS promoter activity.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (17) ◽  
pp. 5629-5639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn E. Hancock ◽  
Marta Perego

ABSTRACT Bacterial growth as a biofilm on solid surfaces is strongly associated with the development of human infections. Biofilms on native heart valves (infective endocarditis) is a life-threatening disease as a consequence of bacterial resistance to antimicrobials in such a state. Enterococci have emerged as a cause of endocarditis and nosocomial infections despite being normal commensals of the gastrointestinal and female genital tracts. We examined the role of two-component signal transduction systems in biofilm formation by the Enterococcus faecalis V583 clinical isolate and identified the fsr regulatory locus as the sole two-component system affecting this unique mode of bacterial growth. Insertion mutations in the fsr operon affected biofilm formation on two distinct abiotic surfaces. Inactivation of the fsr-controlled gene gelE encoding the zinc-metalloprotease gelatinase was found to prevent biofilm formation, suggesting that this enzyme may present a unique target for therapeutic intervention in enterococcal endocarditis.


mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Proutière ◽  
Laurence du Merle ◽  
Bruno Périchon ◽  
Hugo Varet ◽  
Myriam Gominet ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Bacteriocins are natural antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria to kill closely related competitors. The opportunistic pathogen Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus was recently shown to outcompete commensal enterococci of the murine microbiota under tumoral conditions thanks to the production of a two-peptide bacteriocin named gallocin. Here, we identified four genes involved in the regulatory control of gallocin in S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus UCN34 that encode a histidine kinase/response regulator two-component system (BlpH/BlpR), a secreted peptide (GSP [gallocin-stimulating peptide]), and a putative regulator of unknown function (BlpS). While BlpR is a typical 243-amino-acid (aa) response regulator possessing a phospho-receiver domain and a LytTR DNA-binding domain, BlpS is a 108-aa protein containing only a LytTR domain. Our results showed that the secreted peptide GSP activates the dedicated two-component system BlpH/BlpR to induce gallocin transcription. A genome-wide transcriptome analysis indicates that this regulatory system (GSP-BlpH/BlpR) is specific for bacteriocin production. Importantly, as opposed to BlpR, BlpS was shown to repress gallocin gene transcription. A conserved operator DNA sequence of 30 bp was found in all promoter regions regulated by BlpR and BlpS. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) and footprint assays showed direct and specific binding of BlpS and BlpR to various regulated promoter regions in a dose-dependent manner on this conserved sequence. Gallocin expression appears to be tightly controlled in S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus by quorum sensing and antagonistic activity of 2 LytTR-containing proteins. Competition experiments in gut microbiota medium and 5% CO2 to mimic intestinal conditions demonstrate that gallocin is functional under these in vivo-like conditions. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus, formerly known as Streptococcus bovis biotype I, is an opportunistic pathogen causing septicemia and endocarditis in the elderly often associated with asymptomatic colonic neoplasia. Recent studies indicate that S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus is both a driver and a passenger of colorectal cancer. We previously showed that S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus produces a bacteriocin, termed gallocin, enabling colonization of the colon under tumoral conditions by outcompeting commensal members of the murine microbiota such as Enterococcus faecalis. Here, we identified and extensively characterized a four-component system that regulates gallocin production. Gallocin gene transcription is activated by a secreted peptide pheromone (GSP) and a two-component signal transduction system composed of a transmembrane histidine kinase receptor (BlpH) and a cytosolic response regulator (BlpR). Finally, a DNA-binding protein (BlpS) was found to repress gallocin genes transcription, likely by antagonizing BlpR. Understanding gallocin regulation is crucial to prevent S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus colon colonization under tumoral conditions.


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