scholarly journals The fimYZ Genes Regulate Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Invasion in Addition to Type 1 Fimbrial Expression and Bacterial Motility

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 1377-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aaron Baxter ◽  
Bradley D. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Invasive Phenotype ◽  
Environmental Signals ◽  
Bacterial Physiology ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT An important step in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium virulence is the ability to invade the intestinal epithelium. The invasion process requires a large number of genes encoded on Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) at centisome 63 as well as genes located in other positions throughout the chromosome. Expression of the invasive phenotype is tightly regulated by environmental cues that are processed by a complex regulatory scheme. A central player in the invasion regulatory pathway is the HilA protein, which is transcriptional activator belonging to the OmpR/ToxR family. A number of positive regulators (hilC, hilD, fis, sirA/barA, csrAB, phoBR, fadD, envZ/ompR, and fliZ) and negative regulators (hha, hilE, lon, ams, phoP c and pag) have been identified that are able to alter expression of hilA transcription. Recent work has found that hilA transcription requires the HilD protein for activation. Other work has emphasized the importance of HilE as a negative regulator of hilA. Overexpression of hilE superrepresses hilA transcription, as well as the invasive phenotype. Two-hybrid experiments suggest that HilE exerts its regulatory influence on hilA through protein-protein interactions with HilD as the protein does not bind to the hilA promoter nor does it affect hilD transcription. As it seems likely that hilE plays an important role in translating environmental signals into invasion gene regulation, we have attempted to identify how the hilE gene itself is regulated. Our results indicate that the fimYZ genes, response regulatory proteins involved in type 1 fimbrial gene expression and recently implicated in motility gene regulation, are important activators of hilE expression. These findings indicate that invasion gene expression is coregulated with motility and adherence and provide experimental evidence that the expression of these virulence phenotypes is a subset of the overall regulation of bacterial physiology.

scholarly journals FimW Is a Negative Regulator Affecting Type 1 Fimbrial Expression in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette K. Tinker ◽  
Lisa S. Hancox ◽  
Steven Clegg
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Parental Strain ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT Type 1 fimbriae are proteinaceous surface appendages that carry adhesins specific for mannosylated glycoproteins. These fimbriae are found on most members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and are known to facilitate binding to a variety of eukaryotic cells, including those found on the mucosal surfaces of the alimentary tract. We have shown that the regulation of type 1 fimbrial expression in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is controlled, in part, by the products of four genes found within the fimgene cluster: fimZ, fimY, fimW, andfimU. To better understand the specific role of FimW in fimbrial expression, a mutation was constructed in this gene by the insertion of a kanamycin resistance DNA cassette into the chromosome. The resulting fimW mutation was characterized by mannose-sensitive hemagglutination and agglutination with fimbria-specific antiserum. Assays suggested that this mutant was more strongly fimbriate than the parental strain, exhibiting a four- to eightfold increase in fimbrial production. The fimWmutation was introduced into a second strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and this mutant was also found to be strongly fimbriate compared to the parental strain. Consistent with the role of this protein as a negative regulator, fimA-lacZexpression in serovar Typhimurium, as well as in Escherichia coli, was increased twofold in the absence of functional FimW. Primer extension analysis determined that fimWtranscription is initiated from its own promoter 31 bp upstream of the translation start site. Analysis using a fimW-lacZ reporter indicated that fimW expression in serovar Typhimurium was increased under conditions that select for poorly fimbriate bacteria and low fimA expression. FimW also appears to act as an autoregulator, since expression from the fimW-lacZ reporter was increased in a fimW mutant. FimW was partially purified by fusion with the E. coli maltose-binding protein. Use of this FimW protein extract, as well as others, in DNA-binding assays was unable to identify a specific binding site for FimW in thefimA, fimZ, fimY, orfimW promoter regions. To analyze protein-protein interactions, FimW was expressed in a LexA-based two-hybrid system inE. coli. A significant interaction between FimW and the DNA-binding activator protein, FimZ, was detected using this system. These results indicate that FimW is a negative regulator of serovar Typhimurium type 1 fimbrial expression and may function by interfering with FimZ-mediated activation of fimA expression.

scholarly journals HilE Interacts with HilD and Negatively Regulates hilA Transcription and Expression of the Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Invasive Phenotype

2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 1295-1305 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aaron Baxter ◽  
Thomas F. Fahlen ◽  
Rebecca L. Wilson ◽  
Bradley D. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disease ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Invasive Phenotype ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Two Hybrid

ABSTRACT The ability of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to traverse the intestinal mucosa of a host is an important step in its ability to initiate gastrointestinal disease. The majority of the genes required for this invasive characteristic are encoded on Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1), and their expression is controlled by the transcriptional activator HilA, a member of the OmpR/ToxR family of proteins. A variety of genes (hilC, hilD, fis, sirA/barA, csrAB, phoB, fadD, envZ/ompR, fliZ, hilE, ams, lon, pag, and hha) have been identified that exert positive or negative effects on hilA expression, although the mechanisms by which these gene products function remain relatively unclear. Recent work indicates that the small DNA-binding protein, Hha, has a significant role in repressing hilA transcription and the invasive phenotype, particularly in response to osmolarity signals. We have characterized the Salmonella-specific gene, hilE, and found that it plays an important regulatory role in hilA transcription and invasion gene expression. Mutation of hilE causes derepression of hilA transcription, and overexpression of hilE superrepresses hilA expression and the invasive phenotype. Bacterial two-hybrid experiments indicate that the HilE protein interacts with HilD, suggesting a possible mechanism for HilE negative regulation of hilA gene expression and the Salmonella invasive phenotype. Finally, we have found that the hilE gene resides on a region of the serovar Typhimurium chromosome that has many characteristics of a pathogenicity island.

scholarly journals The Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein, Lrp, Activates Transcription of the fim Operon in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium via the fimZ Regulatory Gene

2007 ◽  
Vol 190 (2) ◽  
pp. 602-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsty A. McFarland ◽  
Sacha Lucchini ◽  
Jay C. D. Hinton ◽  
Charles J. Dorman
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Regulatory Region ◽  
Upstream Region ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Type 1 Fimbriae ◽  
Regulatory Cascade ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT The fim operon of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium encodes type 1 fimbriae. The expression of fim is controlled in response to environmental signals through a complex regulatory cascade involving the proteins FimW, FimY, and FimZ and a genetic locus, fimU, that encodes a rare arginine tRNA. We discovered that a knockout mutation in lrp, the gene that codes for the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp), inhibited fim transcription. The loss of fim gene expression was accompanied by a corresponding loss of the mannose-sensitive hemagglutination that is a characteristic of type 1 fimbriae. Normal type 1 fimbrial expression was restored following the introduction into the knockout mutant of a plasmid carrying a functional copy of the lrp gene. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis revealed no interactions between purified Lrp protein and the regulatory region of the fimA, fimU, or fimW gene. Instead, Lrp produced protein-DNA complexes with the regulatory region of the fimZ gene, and the nature of these complexes was leucine sensitive. DNase I footprinting showed that Lrp binds within a region between −65 and −170 with respect to the fimZ transcription start site, consistent with the binding and wrapping of the DNA in this upstream region. Ectopic expression of the fimZ gene from an inducible promoter caused Lrp-independent type 1 fimbriation in serovar Typhimurium. These data show that Lrp makes a positive contribution to fim gene expression through direct interaction with the fimZ promoter region, possibly by antagonizing the binding of the H-NS global repressor protein.

scholarly journals aroA -Deficient Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Is More Than a Metabolically Attenuated Mutant

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Felgner ◽  
Michael Frahm ◽  
Dino Kocijancic ◽  
Manfred Rohde ◽  
Denitsa Eckweiler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Tumor Therapy ◽  
Shikimate Pathway ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Phenotypic Characterization ◽  
Bacterial Physiology ◽  
Cellular Physiology ◽  
Vector Systems ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT Recombinant attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains are believed to act as powerful live vaccine carriers that are able to elicit protection against various pathogens. Auxotrophic mutations, such as a deletion of aroA , are commonly introduced into such bacteria for attenuation without incapacitating immunostimulation. In this study, we describe the surprising finding that deletion of aroA dramatically increased the virulence of attenuated Salmonella in mouse models. Mutant bacteria lacking aroA elicited increased levels of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) after systemic application . A detailed genetic and phenotypic characterization in combination with transcriptomic and metabolic profiling demonstrated that Δ aroA mutants display pleiotropic alterations in cellular physiology and lipid and amino acid metabolism, as well as increased sensitivity to penicillin, complement, and phagocytic uptake. In concert with other immunomodulating mutations, deletion of aroA affected flagellin phase variation and gene expression of the virulence-associated genes arnT and ansB . Finally, ΔaroA strains displayed significantly improved tumor therapeutic activity. These results highlight the importance of a functional shikimate pathway to control homeostatic bacterial physiology. They further highlight the great potential of ΔaroA -attenuated Salmonella for the development of vaccines and cancer therapies with important implications for host-pathogen interactions and translational medicine. IMPORTANCE Recombinant attenuated bacterial vector systems based on genetically engineered Salmonella have been developed as highly potent vaccines. Due to the pathogenic properties of Salmonella , efficient attenuation is required for clinical applications. Since the hallmark study by Hoiseth and Stocker in 1981 (S. K. Hoiseth and B. A. D. Stocker, Nature 291:238–239, 1981, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/291238a0), the auxotrophic Δ aroA mutation has been generally considered safe and universally used to attenuate bacterial strains. Here, we are presenting the remarkable finding that a deletion of aroA leads to pronounced alterations of gene expression, metabolism, and cellular physiology, which resulted in increased immunogenicity, virulence, and adjuvant potential of Salmonella. These results suggest that the enhanced immunogenicity of aroA -deficient Salmonella strains might be advantageous for optimizing bacterial vaccine carriers and immunotherapy. Accordingly, we demonstrate a superior performance of Δ aroA Salmonella in bacterium-mediated tumor therapy. In addition, the present study highlights the importance of a functional shikimate pathway to sustain bacterial physiology and metabolism.

scholarly journals The ATP-Dependent Lon Protease of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Regulates Invasion and Expression of Genes Carried on Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (1) ◽  
pp. 224-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiko Takaya ◽  
Toshifumi Tomoyasu ◽  
Akane Tokumitsu ◽  
Mizue Morioka ◽  
Tomoko Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Lon Protease ◽  
Environmental Signals ◽  
Regulatory Systems ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Complex Manner

ABSTRACT An early step in the pathogenesis of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection is bacterial penetration of the intestinal epithelium. Penetration requires the expression of invasion genes found in Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1). These genes are controlled in a complex manner by regulators in SPI1, including HilA and InvF, and those outside SPI1, such as two-component regulatory systems and small DNA-binding proteins. We report here that the expression of invasion genes and the invasive phenotype of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium are negatively regulated by the ATP-dependent Lon protease, which is known to be a major contributor to proteolysis in Escherichia coli. A disrupted mutant of lon was able to efficiently invade cultured epithelial cells and showed increased production and secretion of three identified SPI1 proteins, SipA, SipC, and SipD. The lon mutant also showed a dramatic enhancement in transcription of the SPI1 genes hilA, invF, sipA, and sipC. The increases ranged from 10-fold to almost 40-fold. It is well known that the expression of SPI1 genes is also regulated in response to several environmental conditions. We found that the disruption of lon does not abolish the repression of hilA and sipC expression by high-oxygen or low-osmolarity conditions, suggesting that Lon represses SPI1 gene expression by a regulatory pathway independent of these environmental signals. Since HilA is thought to function as a central regulator of SPI1 gene expression, it is speculated that Lon may regulate SPI1 gene expression by proteolysis of putative factors required for activation of hilA expression.

scholarly journals Hha Is a Negative Modulator of Transcription ofhilA, the Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Invasion Gene Transcriptional Activator

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (22) ◽  
pp. 6620-6629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Fahlen ◽  
Rebecca L. Wilson ◽  
Jennifer D. Boddicker ◽  
Bradley D. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Transcriptional Activator ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
Invasive Phenotype ◽  
Environmental Signals ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Suboptimal Condition

ABSTRACT An early step in the establishment of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium murine infection is the penetration of the intestinal mucosa of the small intestine. The majority of the genes responsible for the Salmonellainvasive phenotype are encoded on Salmonellapathogenicity island 1, and their transcription is controlled by thehilA transcriptional activator. The expression ofhilA is regulated by environmental signals including oxygen, osmolarity, pH, and growth phase such that the presence of any one suboptimal condition results in repression of hilAexpression and the invasive phenotype. We have conducted a search for negative regulators of hilA by introduction of aSalmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium chromosomal DNA gene bank into a Salmonella enterica serovar TyphimuriumhilA::Tn5lacZY reporter strain. This screen has identified the hha gene as a regulator that exerts a negative influence on hilA expression. Plasmid-encoded hha significantly reduceshilA::Tn5lacZY chromosomal expression, as well as expression of the invasion genesinvF, prgH, and sipC. Anhha null mutation results in substantial derepression of both chromosomally encoded and plasmid-encodedhilA::Tn5lacZY expression. Introduction of plasmid-encoded hha into strain SL1344 results in attenuation of invasion using in vitro and in vivo assays. Importantly, purified Hha protein was found to bind to ahilA DNA promoter fragment, suggesting that the regulatory activity of the Hha protein occurs at thehilA promoter. These data add detail to the developing model of the regulation of Salmonella invasion genes.

scholarly journals Multiple Factors Independently RegulatehilA and Invasion Gene Expression in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (7) ◽  
pp. 1872-1882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin L. Lucas ◽  
C. Phoebe Lostroh ◽  
Concetta C. DiRusso ◽  
Michael P. Spector ◽  
Barry L. Wanner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Inorganic Phosphate ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Uptake System ◽  
Intracellular Signals ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium

HilA activates the expression of Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium invasion genes. To learn more about regulation ofhilA, we isolated Tn5 mutants exhibiting reduced hilA and/or invasion gene expression. In addition to expected mutations, we identified Tn5 insertions inpstS, fadD, flhD, flhC, and fliA. Analysis of the pstS mutant indicates that hilA and invasion genes are repressed by the response regulator PhoB in the absence of the Pst high-affinity inorganic phosphate uptake system. This system is required for negative control of the PhoR-PhoB two-component regulatory system, suggesting thathilA expression may be repressed by PhoR-PhoB under low extracellular inorganic phosphate conditions. FadD is required for uptake and degradation of long-chain fatty acids, and our analysis of the fadD mutant indicates that hilA is regulated by a FadD-dependent, FadR-independent mechanism. Thus, fatty acid derivatives may act as intracellular signals to regulatehilA expression. flhDC and fliAencode transcription factors required for flagellum production, motility, and chemotaxis. Complementation studies with flhCand fliA mutants indicate that FliZ, which is encoded in an operon with fliA, activates expression of hilA, linking regulation of hilA with motility. Finally, epistasis tests showed that PhoB, FadD, FliZ, SirA, and EnvZ act independently to regulate hilA expression and invasion. In summary, our screen has identified several distinct pathways that can modulate S. enterica serovar Typhimurium's ability to express hilA and invade host cells. Integration of signals from these different pathways may help restrict invasion gene expression during infection.

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