scholarly journals A Type III Secretion System Is Required for Aeromonas hydrophila AH-1 Pathogenesis

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 1248-1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. B. Yu ◽  
P. S. Srinivasa Rao ◽  
H. C. Lee ◽  
S. Vilches ◽  
S. Merino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aeromonas Hydrophila ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Degenerate Primers ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Insertional Inactivation

ABSTRACT Aeromonas hydrophila is a gram-negative opportunistic pathogen in fish and humans. Many bacterial pathogens of animals and plants have been shown to inject anti-host virulence determinants into the hosts via a type III secretion system (TTSS). Degenerate primers based on lcrD family genes that are present in every known TTSS allowed us to locate the TTSS gene cluster in A. hydrophila AH-1. A series of genome walking steps helped in the identification of 25 open reading frames that encode proteins homologous to those in TTSSs in other bacteria. PCR-based analysis showed the presence of lcrD homologs (ascV) in all of the 33 strains of A. hydrophila isolated from various sources. Insertional inactivation of two of the TTSS genes (aopB and aopD) led to decreased cytotoxicity in carp epithelial cells, increased phagocytosis, and reduced virulence in blue gourami. These results show that a TTSS is required for A. hydrophila pathogenesis. This is the first report of sequencing and characterization of TTSS gene clusters from A. hydrophila. The TTSS identified here may help in developing suitable vaccines as well as in further understanding of the pathogenesis of A. hydrophila.

scholarly journals The Type III Secretion System and Cytotoxic Enterotoxin Alter the Virulence of Aeromonas hydrophila

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 6446-6457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Sha ◽  
Lakshmi Pillai ◽  
Amin A. Fadl ◽  
Cristi L. Galindo ◽  
Tatiana E. Erova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aeromonas Hydrophila ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Isogenic Mutants

ABSTRACT Many gram-negative bacteria use a type III secretion system (TTSS) to deliver effector proteins into host cells. Here we report the characterization of a TTSS chromosomal operon from the diarrheal isolate SSU of Aeromonas hydrophila. We deleted the gene encoding Aeromonas outer membrane protein B (AopB), which is predicted to be involved in the formation of the TTSS translocon, from wild-type (WT) A. hydrophila as well as from a previously characterized cytotoxic enterotoxin gene (act)-minus strain of A. hydrophila, thus generating aopB and act/aopB isogenic mutants. The act gene encodes a type II-secreted cytotoxic enterotoxin (Act) that has hemolytic, cytotoxic, and enterotoxic activities and induces lethality in a mouse model. These isogenic mutants (aopB, act, and act/aopB) were highly attenuated in their ability to induce cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages and HT-29 human colonic epithelial cells. The act/aopB mutant demonstrated the greatest reduction in cytotoxicity to cultured cells after 4 h of infection, as measured by the release of lactate dehydrogenase enzyme, and was avirulent in mice, with a 90% survival rate compared to that of animals infected with Act and AopB mutants, which caused 50 to 60% of the animals to die at a dose of three 50% lethal doses. In contrast, WT A. hydrophila killed 100% of the mice within 48 h. The effects of these mutations on cytotoxicity could be complemented with the native genes. Our studies further revealed that the production of lactones, which are involved in quorum sensing (QS), was decreased in the act (32%) and aopB (64%) mutants and was minimal (only 8%) in the act/aopB mutant, compared to that of WT A. hydrophila SSU. The effects of act and aopB gene deletions on lactone production could also be complemented with the native genes, indicating specific effects of Act and the TTSS on lactone production. Although recent studies with other bacteria have indicated TTSS regulation by QS, this is the first report describing a correlation between the TTSS and Act of A. hydrophila and the production of lactones.

scholarly journals A Degenerate Type III Secretion System from Septicemic Escherichia coli Contributes to Pathogenesis

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (23) ◽  
pp. 8164-8171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Ideses ◽  
Uri Gophna ◽  
Yossi Paitan ◽  
Roy R. Chaudhuri ◽  
Mark J. Pallen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Type Iii

ABSTRACT The type III secretion system (T3SS) is an important virulence factor used by several gram-negative bacteria to deliver effector proteins which subvert host cellular processes. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 has a well-defined T3SS involved in attachment and effacement (ETT1) and critical for virulence. A gene cluster potentially encoding an additional T3SS (ETT2), which resembles the SPI-1 system in Salmonella enterica, was found in its genome sequence. The ETT2 gene cluster has since been found in many E. coli strains, but its in vivo role is not known. Many of the ETT2 gene clusters carry mutations and deletions, raising the possibility that they are not functional. Here we show the existence in septicemic E. coli strains of an ETT2 gene cluster, ETT2sepsis, which, although degenerate, contributes to pathogenesis. ETT2sepsis has several premature stop codons and a large (5 kb) deletion, which is conserved in 11 E. coli strains from cases of septicemia and newborn meningitis. A null mutant constructed to remove genes coding for the putative inner membrane ring of the secretion complex exhibited significantly reduced virulence. These results are the first demonstration of the importance of ETT2 for pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Positive Regulation of the Hrp Type III Secretion System in Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 665-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Ortiz-Martín ◽  
Richard Thwaites ◽  
Alberto P. Macho ◽  
John W. Mansfield ◽  
Carmen R. Beuzón
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Hypersensitive Response ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Type Iii

Disease in compatible hosts and induction of the hypersensitive response in resistant plants by most plant-pathogenic bacteria require a functional type III secretion system (T3SS). Expression of T3SS genes responds to host and environmental factors and is induced within the plant. In Pseudomonas syringae, expression of the T3SS requires HrpL, which is transcriptionally upregulated by HrpR and HrpS. In some pathovars, expression of the hrpRS genes is upregulated by the GacA/S two-component system. Additionally, HrpA, the major component of the T3SS pilus, has also been linked to the regulation of the hrpRS gene expression. Previous studies concerning regulation of hypersensitive response and pathogenesis/hypersensitive response conserved (hrp/hrc) gene expression have used mostly in vitro inducing conditions, different pathovars, and methodology. Here, we analyze the roles of HrpL, GacA, and HrpA in the bean pathogen, using single, double, and triple mutants as well as strains ectopically expressing the regulators. We use real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis in vitro and in planta to quantify gene expression and competitive indices and other assays to assess bacterial fitness. Our results indicate that i) HrpL acts as a general virulence regulator that upregulates non-T3SS virulence determinants and downregulates flagellar function; ii) GacA modulates the expression of hrpL, and its contribution to virulence is entirely HrpL dependent; iii) there is a basal HrpL-independent expression of the T3SS genes in rich medium that is important for full activation of the system, maybe by keeping the system primed for rapid activation upon contact with the plant; and iv) HrpA upregulates expression of the T3SS genes and is essential to activate expression of the hrpZ operon upon contact with the plant.

Deletion of the genes encoding the type III secretion system and cytotoxic enterotoxin alters host responses to Aeromonas hydrophila infection

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 198-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin A. Fadl ◽  
Cristi L. Galindo ◽  
Jian Sha ◽  
Tatiana E. Erova ◽  
Clifford W. Houston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aeromonas Hydrophila ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Host Responses ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Genes Encoding

scholarly journals RplI interacts with 5’ UTR of exsA to repress its translation and type III secretion system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2022 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. e1010170
Author(s):  
Dan Wang ◽  
Xinxin Zhang ◽  
Liwen Yin ◽  
Qi Liu ◽  
Zhaoli Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Large Subunit ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Subunit Protein ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Real Time Quantitative Pcr

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen capable of causing variety of infections in humans. The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a critical virulence determinant of P. aeruginosa in the host infections. Expression of the T3SS is regulated by ExsA, a master regulator that activates the expression of all known T3SS genes. Expression of the exsA gene is controlled at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Here, we screened a P. aeruginosa transposon (Tn5) insertional mutant library and found rplI, a gene coding for the ribosomal large subunit protein L9, to be a repressor for the T3SS gene expression. Combining real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), western blotting and lacZ fusion assays, we show that RplI controls the expression of exsA at the posttranscriptional level. Further genetic experiments demonstrated that RplI mediated control of the exsA translation involves 5’ untranslated region (5’ UTR). A ribosome immunoprecipitation assay and qPCR revealed higher amounts of a 24 nt fragment from exsA mRNA being associated with ribosomes in the ΔrplI mutant. An interaction between RplI and exsA mRNA harboring its 24 nt, but not 12 nt, 5’ UTR was confirmed by RNA Gel Mobility Shift and Microscale Thermophoresis assays. Overall, this study identifies the ribosomal large subunit protein L9 as a novel T3SS repressor that inhibits ExsA translation in P. aeruginosa.

scholarly journals The Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16 hrp/hrc Gene Cluster Encodes an Active Hrp Type III Secretion System That Is Flanked by Virulence Genes Functionally Unrelated to the Hrp System

2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 644-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemencia M. Rojas ◽  
Jong Hyun Ham ◽  
Lisa M. Schechter ◽  
Jihyun F. Kim ◽  
Steven V. Beer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Amino Acid Identity ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Erwinia Chrysanthemi ◽  
Type Iii

Erwinia chrysanthemi is a host-promiscuous plant pathogen that possesses a type III secretion system (TTSS) similar to that of the host-specific pathogens E. amylovora and Pseudomonas syringae. The regions flanking the TTSS-encoding hrp/hrc gene clusters in the latter pathogens encode various TTSS-secreted proteins. DNA sequencing of the complete E. chrysanthemi hrp/hrc gene cluster and approximately 12 kb of the flanking regions (beyond the previously characterized hecA adhesin gene in the left flank) revealed that the E. chrysanthemi TTSS genes were syntenic and similar (>50% amino-acid identity) with their E. amylovora orthologs. However, the hrp/hrc cluster was interrupted by a cluster of four genes, only one of which, a homolog of lytic transglycosylases, is implicated in TTSS functions. Furthermore, the regions flanking the hrp/hrc cluster lacked genes that were likely to encode TTSS substrates. Instead, some of the genes in these regions predict ABC transporters and methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins that could have alternative roles in virulence. Mutations affecting all of the genes in the regions flanking or interrupting the hrp/hrc cluster were constructed in E. chrysanthemi CUCPB5047, a mutant whose reduced pectolytic capacity can enhance the phenotype of minor virulence factors. Mutants were screened in witloof chicory leaves and then in potato tubers and Nicotiana clevelandii seedlings. Mu dII1734 insertion in one gene, designated virA, resulted in strongly reduced virulence in all three tests. virA is immediately downstream of hecA, has an unusually low G+C content of 38%, and predicts an unknown protein of 111 amino acids. The E. chrysanthemi TTSS was shown to be active by its ability to translocate AvrPto-Cya (a P. syringae TTSS effector fused to an adenylate cyclase reporter that is active in the presence of eukaryote calmodulin) into N. benthamiana However, VirA(1–61)¯ Cya was not translocated into plant cells, and virA expression was not affected by mutations in E. chrysanthemi Hrp regulator genes hrpL and hrpS. Thus, the 44-kb region of the E. chrysanthemi EC16 genome that is centered on the hrp/hrc cluster encodes a potpourri of virulence factors, but none of these appear to be a TTSS effector.

scholarly journals Essential Role of the Type III Secretion System Effector NleB in Colonization of Mice by Citrobacter rodentium

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 2328-2337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Kelly ◽  
Emily Hart ◽  
Rosanna Mundy ◽  
Olivier Marchès ◽  
Siouxsie Wiles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Citrobacter Rodentium ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Type Iii

ABSTRACT Attaching and effacing (A/E) pathogens are a significant cause of gastrointestinal illness in humans and animals. All A/E pathogens carry a large pathogenicity island, termed the locus for enterocyte effacement (LEE), which encodes a type III secretion system that translocates several effector proteins into host cells. To identify novel virulence determinants in A/E pathogens, we performed a signature-tagged mutagenesis screen in C57BL/6 mice by using the mouse A/E pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. Five hundred seventy-six derivatives of C. rodentium were tested in pools of 12 mutants. One attenuated mutant carried a transposon insertion in nleB, which encodes a putative effector of the LEE-encoded type III secretion system (T3SS). nleB is present in a genomic pathogenicity island that also encodes another putative effector, NleE, immediately downstream. Using translational fusions with β-lactamase (TEM-1), we showed that both NleB and NleE were translocated into host cells by the LEE-encoded T3SS of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. In addition, deletion of the gene encoding NleB in C. rodentium resulted in reduced colonization of mice in single infections and reduced colonic hyperplasia. In contrast, the deletion of other non-LEE-encoded effector genes in C. rodentium, nleC, nleD, or nleE, had no effect on host colonization or disease. These results suggest that nleB encodes an important virulence determinant of A/E pathogens.

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