scholarly journals Implication of Quorum Sensing in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Virulence: the luxS Gene Is Necessary for Expression of Genes in Pathogenicity Island 1

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 4885-4890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeongjoon Choi ◽  
Dongwoo Shin ◽  
Sangryeol Ryu
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Plasmid Copy ◽  
Signal Molecule ◽  
Synthetic Signal

ABSTRACT Despite the fact that the regulatory system sensing density of cell population and its signaling molecule have been identified in Salmonella enterica, the biological significance of this phenomenon termed as quorum sensing remains unknown. In this report, we provide evidence that the luxS gene is necessary for Salmonella virulence phenotypes. Transcription assays showed that the cell-density-dependent induction of the invF gene was abolished in a Salmonella strain with the luxS gene deleted. The effect of the luxS deletion was also investigated in other InvF-regulated genes expressed from Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1). The decreased expression of SPI-1 genes in the strain with luxS deleted could be restored by either the addition of a synthetic signal molecule or the introduction of a plasmid copy of the luxS gene. Thus, the reduced expression of invF and its regulated genes in Salmonella cells lacking quorum sensing resulted in the attenuation of virulence phenotypes both in vitro and in vivo.

scholarly journals Poultry Body Temperature Contributes to Invasion Control through Reduced Expression of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1 Genes in Salmonella enterica Serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (23) ◽  
pp. 8192-8201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Troxell ◽  
Nicholas Petri ◽  
Caitlyn Daron ◽  
Rafaela Pereira ◽  
Mary Mendoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Avian Host ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Poultry Products ◽  
Epithelial Cell Layer

ABSTRACTSalmonella entericaserovars Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) and Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) are foodborne pathogens, and outbreaks are often associated with poultry products. Chickens are typically asymptomatic when colonized by these serovars; however, the factors contributing to this observation are uncharacterized. Whereas symptomatic mammals have a body temperature between 37°C and 39°C, chickens have a body temperature of 41°C to 42°C. Here,in vivoexperiments using chicks demonstrated that numbers of viableS. Typhimurium orS. Enteritidis bacteria within the liver and spleen organ sites were ≥4 orders of magnitude lower than those within the ceca. When similar doses ofS. Typhimurium orS. Enteritidis were given to C3H/HeN mice, the ratio of the intestinal concentration to the liver/spleen concentration was 1:1. In the avian host, this suggested poor survival within these tissues or a reduced capacity to traverse the host epithelial layer and reach liver/spleen sites or both.Salmonellapathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) promotes localization to liver/spleen tissues through invasion of the epithelial cell layer. Followingin vitrogrowth at 42°C, SPI-1 genessipC,invF, andhilAand the SPI-1rtsAactivator were downregulated compared to expression at 37°C. Overexpression of thehilAactivatorsfur,fliZ, andhilDwas capable of inducinghilA-lacZat 37°C but not at 42°C despite the presence of similar levels of protein at the two temperatures. In contrast, overexpression of eitherhilCorrtsAwas capable of inducinghilAandsipCat 42°C. These data indicate that physiological parameters of the poultry host, such as body temperature, have a role in modulating expression of virulence.

scholarly journals The Pseudomonas Quorum-Sensing Regulator RsaL Belongs to the Tetrahelical Superclass of H-T-H Proteins

2006 ◽  
Vol 189 (5) ◽  
pp. 1922-1930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giordano Rampioni ◽  
Fabio Polticelli ◽  
Iris Bertani ◽  
Karima Righetti ◽  
Vittorio Venturi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Specific Domain ◽  
Signal Molecule ◽  
In Silico Model ◽  
Opportunistic Human Pathogen

ABSTRACT In the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, quorum sensing (QS) is crucial for virulence. The RsaL protein directly represses the transcription of lasI, the synthase gene of the main QS signal molecule. On the basis of sequence homology, RsaL cannot be predicted to belong to any class of characterized DNA-binding proteins. In this study, an in silico model of the RsaL structure was inferred showing that RsaL belongs to the tetrahelical superclass of helix-turn-helix proteins. The overall structure of RsaL is very similar to the N-terminal domain of the lambda cI repressor and to the POU-specific domain of the mammalian transcription factor Oct-1 (Oct-1 POUs). Moreover, residues of Oct-1 POUs important for structural stability and/or DNA binding are conserved in the same positions in RsaL and in its homologs found in GenBank. These residues were independently replaced with Ala, and the activities of the mutated variants of RsaL were compared to that of the wild-type counterpart in vivo by complementation assays and in vitro by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. The results validated the RsaL in silico model and showed that residues Arg 20, Gln 38, Ser 42, Arg 43, and Glu 45 are important for RsaL function. Our data indicate that RsaL could be the founding member of a new protein family within the tetrahelical superclass of helix-turn-helix proteins. Finally, the minimum DNA sequence required for RsaL binding on the lasI promoter was determined, and our data support the hypothesis that RsaL binds DNA as a dimer.

scholarly journals Resolvase-In Vivo Expression Technology Analysis of the Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium PhoP and PmrA Regulons in BALB/c Mice

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (21) ◽  
pp. 7407-7416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Merighi ◽  
Craig D. Ellermeier ◽  
James M. Slauch ◽  
John S. Gunn
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Intestinal Lumen ◽  
Virulence Attenuation ◽  
In Vivo Expression ◽  
Covalent Modifications

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica modulates resistance to antimicrobial peptides in part via covalent modifications of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The two-component systems PhoP/PhoQ and PmrA/PmrB are activated during infection and regulate several genes involved in LPS modifications by responding to signals such as pH, iron, magnesium, and antimicrobial peptides. A recombination-based in vivo expression technology approach was adopted to analyze the spatial-temporal patterns of in vivo expression of genes of the PhoP and PmrA regulons and to identify the in vivo signals modulating their transcription. In vitro, we showed PhoP- and/or PmrA-dependent induction of pmrH (LPS aminoarabinose modification operon) by acidic pH, low levels of magnesium, or high levels of Fe(III). Upregulation in cultured J774A.1 macrophages was shown for pmrH, pagP (LPS palmitate addition), and ssaB (pathogenicity island II secretion) but not for prgH (pathogenicity island I secretion). Increased levels of pmrH, phoP, and prgH transcription but not ssaB were observed in bacteria isolated from the lumen of the distal ileum. Bacteria isolated from spleens of orally inoculated mice showed no further induction of prgH but had the highest expression of pmrH, pagP, and ssaB. In vivo induction of pmrH was fully dependent on pmrA and phoP, and buffering stomach acidity, iron chelation, or low-iron diets did not affect the expression of pmrH in the intestinal lumen. The observation of pmrH and pagP expression in the intestine refutes the paradigm of PhoP/PhoQ and PmrA/PmrB in vivo expression as solely intracellularly induced and supports previous data demonstrating peroral virulence attenuation of pmrH mutants.

scholarly journals Infection of Mice by Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Involves Additional Genes That Are Absent in the Genome of Serovar Typhimurium

2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 839-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia A. Silva ◽  
Carlos J. Blondel ◽  
Carolina P. Quezada ◽  
Steffen Porwollik ◽  
Helene L. Andrews-Polymenis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Phage Type ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Genomic Islands ◽  
Enteric Infection ◽  
Type I ◽  
Modification System ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTSalmonella entericaserovar Enteritidis causes a systemic, typhoid-like infection in newly hatched poultry and mice. In the present study, a library of 54,000 transposon mutants ofS.Enteritidis phage type 4 (PT4) strain P125109 was screened for mutants deficient in thein vivocolonization of the BALB/c mouse model using a microarray-based negative-selection screening. Mutants in genes known to contribute to systemic infection (e.g.,Salmonellapathogenicity island 2 [SPI-2],aro,rfa,rfb,phoP, andphoQ) and enteric infection (e.g., SPI-1 and SPI-5) in this and otherSalmonellaserovars displayed colonization defects in our assay. In addition, a strong attenuation was observed for mutants in genes and genomic islands that are not present inS.Typhimurium or in most otherSalmonellaserovars. These genes include a type I restriction/modification system (SEN4290toSEN4292), thepegfimbrial operon (SEN2144AtoSEN2145B), a putative pathogenicity island (SEN1970 to SEN1999), and a type VI secretion system remnantSEN1001, encoding a hypothetical protein containing a lysin motif (LysM) domain associated with peptidoglycan binding. Proliferation defects for mutants in these individual genes and in exemplar genes for each of these clusters were confirmed in competitive infections with wild-typeS.Enteritidis. A ΔSEN1001mutant was defective for survival within RAW264.7 murine macrophagesin vitro. Complementation assays directly linked theSEN1001gene to phenotypes observedin vivoandin vitro. The genes identified here may perform novel virulence functions not characterized in previousSalmonellamodels.

scholarly journals In Vivo Genetic Analysis Indicates That PhoP-PhoQ and the Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 Type III Secretion System Contribute Independently to Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Virulence

2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 7254-7261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen R. Beuzón ◽  
Kate E. Unsworth ◽  
David W. Holden
Keyword(s):  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT Many virulence factors are required for Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to replicate intracellularly and proliferate systemically within mice. In this work, we have carried out genetic analyses in vivo to determine the functional relationship between two major virulence factors necessary for systemic infection byS. enterica serovar Typhimurium: theSalmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2) type III secretion system (TTSS) and the PhoP-PhoQ two-component regulatory system. Although previous work suggested that PhoP-PhoQ regulates SPI-2 TTSS gene expression in vitro, in vivo competitive analysis of mutant strains indicates that these systems contribute independently toS. typhimurium virulence. Our results also suggest that mutation of phoP may compensate partially for defects in the SPI-2 TTSS by deregulating SPI-1 TTSS expression. These results provide an explanation for previous reports showing an apparent functional overlap between these two systems in vitro.

scholarly journals Systematic Analysis of the SsrAB Virulon of Salmonella enterica

2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Xu ◽  
Michael Hensel
Keyword(s):  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
High Expression ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Cell Functions

ABSTRACT Intracellular Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium deploys the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI2)-encoded type III secretion system (T3SS) to modify host cell functions and accomplish intracellular replication. This virulence function is controlled by the two-component system SsrAB that regulates the expression of several operons in SPI2 and, in addition, a large number of genes for non-SPI2-encoded effector proteins. Here, we analyzed the relative expression levels of members of the SsrAB virulon. We used a novel reporter fusion strategy for single-copy chromosomal fusions, all done in an identical manner in order to enable direct quantitative comparison. We observed very high expression levels for sseJ and sifA; high expression levels for ssaG, steC, sseL, and sopD2; moderate expression levels for ssaB, sseA, sseG, sifB, pipB2, and sspH1; and low expression levels for sspH2, sseI, slrP, sseK1, sseK2, pipB, and gogB. The expression of the SsrAB virulon was highly dependent on the function of SsrB but also required EnvR/OmpZ. Deletion of PhoP, part of the global regulatory system PhoPQ, resulted in highly delayed expression of the SsrAB virulon under in vitro conditions; however, maximal expression was similar to that in a wild-type background. The expression levels of SsrAB-dependent genes in intracellular bacteria were in good agreement with in vitro analyses. We provide here a comprehensive and fully comparable analysis of the expression of genes in the SsrAB virulon. This information will be of interest for the selection of in vivo-activated promoters, for example, for rational design of recombinant vaccines.

scholarly journals Identification of cptA, a PmrA-Regulated Locus Required for Phosphoethanolamine Modification of the Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Lipopolysaccharide Core

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (10) ◽  
pp. 3391-3399 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Tamayo ◽  
B. Choudhury ◽  
A. Septer ◽  
M. Merighi ◽  
R. Carlson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Charge ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Polymyxin B ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance

ABSTRACT In response to the in vivo environment, the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is modified. These modifications are controlled in part by the two-component regulatory system PmrA-PmrB, with the addition of 4-aminoarabinose (Ara4N) to the lipid A and phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) to the lipid A and core. Here we demonstrate that the PmrA-regulated STM4118 (cptA) gene is necessary for the addition of pEtN to the LPS core. pmrC, a PmrA-regulated gene necessary for the addition of pEtN to lipid A, did not affect core pEtN addition. Although imparting a similar surface charge modification as Ara4N, which greatly affects polymyxin B resistance and murine virulence, neither pmrC nor cptA plays a dramatic role in antimicrobial peptide resistance in vitro or virulence in the mouse model. Therefore, factors other than surface charge/electrostatic interaction contribute to resistance to antimicrobial peptides such as polymyxin B.

scholarly journals Mutational Analysis of the Residue at Position 48 in the Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium PhoQ Sensor Kinase

2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (6) ◽  
pp. 1935-1941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Sanowar ◽  
Alexandre Martel ◽  
Hervé Le Moual
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Phosphatase Activity ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Constitutively Active

ABSTRACT The PhoP/PhoQ two-component regulatory system of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium plays an essential role in controlling virulence by mediating the adaptation to Mg2+ depletion. The pho-24 allele of phoQ harbors a single amino acid substitution (T48I) in the periplasmic domain of the PhoQ histidine kinase sensor. This mutation has been shown to increase net phosphorylation of the PhoP response regulator. We analyzed the effect on signaling by PhoP/PhoQ of various amino acid substitutions at this position (PhoQ-T48X [X = A, S, V, I, or L]). Mutations T48V, T48I, and T48L were found to affect signaling by PhoP/PhoQ both in vivo and in vitro. Mutations PhoQ-T48V and PhoQ-T48I increased both the expression of the mgtA::lacZ transcriptional fusion and the net phosphorylation of PhoP, conferring to cells a PhoP constitutively active phenotype. In contrast, mutation PhoQ-T48L barely responded to changes in the concentration of external Mg2+, in vivo and in vitro, conferring to cells a PhoP constitutively inactive phenotype. By analyzing in vitro the individual catalytic activities of the PhoQ-T48X sensors, we found that the PhoP constitutively active phenotype observed for the PhoQ-T48V and PhoQ-T48I proteins is solely due to decreased phosphatase activity. In contrast, the PhoP constitutively inactive phenotype observed for the PhoQ-T48L mutant resulted from both decreased autokinase activity and increased phosphatase activity. Our data are consistent with a model in which the residue at position 48 of PhoQ contributes to a conformational switch between kinase- and phosphatase-dominant states.

scholarly journals Fur Activates the Expression of Salmonella enterica Pathogenicity Island 1 by Directly Interacting with the hilD Operator In Vivo and In Vitro

PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. e19711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Teixidó ◽  
Begoña Carrasco ◽  
Juan C. Alonso ◽  
Jordi Barbé ◽  
Susana Campoy
Keyword(s):  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Pathogenicity Island
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