scholarly journals IscR Regulates Synthesis of Colonization Factor Antigen I Fimbriae in Response to Iron Starvation in Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (18) ◽  
pp. 2896-2907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Haines ◽  
Nadège Arnaud-Barbe ◽  
David Poncet ◽  
Sylvie Reverchon ◽  
Julien Wawrzyniak ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIron availability functions as an environmental cue for enteropathogenic bacteria, signaling arrival within the human host. As enterotoxigenicEscherichia coli(ETEC) is a major cause of human diarrhea, the effect of iron on ETEC virulence factors was evaluated here. ETEC pathogenicity is directly linked to production of fimbrial colonization factors and secretion of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) and/or heat-stable enterotoxin (ST). Efficient colonization of the small intestine further requires at least the flagellin binding adhesin EtpA. Under iron starvation, production of the CFA/I fimbriae was increased in the ETEC H10407 prototype strain. In contrast, LT secretion was inhibited. Furthermore, under iron starvation, gene expression of thecfa(CFA/I) andetp(EtpBAC) operons was induced, whereas transcription of toxin genes was either unchanged or repressed. Transcriptional reporter fusion experiments focusing on thecfaoperon further showed that iron starvation stimulatedcfaApromoter activity in ETEC, indicating that the impact of iron on CFA/I production was mediated by transcriptional regulation. Evaluation ofcfaApromoter activity in heterologousE. colisingle mutant knockout strains identified IscR as the regulator responsible for inducingcfafimbrial gene expression in response to iron starvation, and this was confirmed in an ETEC ΔiscRstrain. The global iron response regulator, Fur, was not implicated. IscR binding sites were identifiedin silicowithin thecfaApromoter and fixation confirmed by DNase I footprinting, indicating that IscR directly binds the promoter region to induce CFA/I.IMPORTANCEPathogenic enterobacteria modulate expression of virulence genes in response to iron availability. Although the Fur transcription factor represents the global regulator of iron homeostasis inEscherichia coli, we show that several ETEC virulence factors are modulated by iron, with expression of the major fimbriae under the control of the iron-sulfur cluster regulator, IscR. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the apo form of IscR, lacking an Fe-S cluster, is able to directly fix the corresponding promoter region. These results provide further evidence implicating IscR in bacterial virulence and suggest that IscR may represent a more general regulator mediating the iron response in enteropathogens.

Microbiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 167 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debjyoti Bhakat ◽  
Indranil Mondal ◽  
Asish Kumar Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Nabendu Sekhar Chatterjee

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a major pathogen of acute watery diarrhoea. The pathogenicity of ETEC is linked to adherence to the small intestine by colonization factors (CFs) and secretion of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) and/or heat-stable enterotoxin (ST). CS6 is one of the most common CFs in our region and worldwide. Iron availability functions as an environmental cue for enteropathogenic bacteria, signalling arrival within the human host. Therefore, iron could modify the expression of CS6 in the intestine. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of iron availability on CS6 expression in ETEC. This would help in understanding the importance of iron during ETEC pathogenesis. ETEC strain harbouring CS6 was cultured under increasing concentrations of iron salt to assess the effect on CS6 RNA expression by quantitative RT-PCR, protein expression by ELISA, promoter activity by β-galactosidase activity, and epithelial adhesion on HT-29 cells. RNA expression of CS6 was maximum in presence of 0.2 mM iron (II) salt. The expression increased by 50-fold, which also reduced under iron-chelation conditions and an increased iron concentration of 0.4 mM or more. The surface expression of CS6 also increased by 60-fold in presence of 0.2 mM iron. The upregulation of CS6 promoter activity by 25-fold under this experimental condition was in accordance with the induction of CS6 RNA and protein. This increased CS6 expression was independent of ETEC strains. Bacterial adhesion to HT-29 epithelial cells was also enhanced by five-fold in the presence of 0.2 mM iron salt. These findings suggest that CS6 expression is dependent on iron concentration. However, with further increases in iron concentration beyond 0.2 mM CS6 expression is decreased, suggesting that there might be a strong regulatory mechanism for CS6 expression under different iron concentrations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Heinisch ◽  
Katharina Zoric ◽  
Maike Krause ◽  
Herbert Schmidt

ABSTRACT Certain foodborne Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains carry genes encoding the subtilase cytotoxin (SubAB). Although the mode of action of SubAB is under intensive investigation, information about the regulation of subAB gene expression is currently not available. In this study, we investigated the regulation of the chromosomal subAB1 gene in laboratory E. coli strain DH5α and STEC O113:H21 strain TS18/08 using a luciferase reporter gene assay. Special emphasis was given to the role of the global regulatory protein genes hfq and hns in subAB1 promoter activity. Subsequently, quantitative real-time PCR was performed to analyze the expression of Shiga toxin 2a (Stx2a), SubAB1, and cytolethal distending toxin V (Cdt-V) genes in STEC strain TS18/08 and its isogenic hfq and hns deletion mutants. The deletion of hfq led to a significant increase of up to 2-fold in subAB1 expression, especially in the late growth phase, in both strains. However, deletion of hns showed different effects on the promoter activity during the early and late exponential growth phases in both strains. Furthermore, upregulation of stx2a and cdt-V was demonstrated in hfq and hns deletion mutants in TS18/08. These data showed that the expression of subAB1, stx2a, and cdt-V is integrated in the regulatory network of global regulators Hfq and H-NS in Escherichia coli. IMPORTANCE Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are responsible for outbreaks of foodborne diseases, such as hemorrhagic colitis and the hemolytic uremic syndrome. The pathogenicity of those strains can be attributed to, among other factors, the production of toxins. Recently, the subtilase cytotoxin was detected in locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE)-negative STEC, and it was confirmed that it contributes to the cytotoxicity of those STEC strains. Although the mode of action of SubAB1 is under intensive investigation, the regulation of gene expression is currently not known. The global regulatory proteins H-NS and Hfq have impact on many cellular processes and have been described to regulate virulence factors as well. Here, we investigate the role of hns and hfq in expression of subAB1 as well as stx2a and cdt-V in an E. coli laboratory strain as well as in wild-type STEC strain TS18/08.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Pourciau ◽  
Archana Pannuri ◽  
Anastasia Potts ◽  
Helen Yakhnin ◽  
Paul Babitzke ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The global regulatory protein CsrA coordinates gene expression in response to physiological cues reflecting cellular stress and nutrition. CsrA binding to the 5′ segments of mRNA targets affects their translation, RNA stability, and/or transcript elongation. Recent studies identified probable mRNA targets of CsrA that are involved in iron uptake and storage in Escherichia coli, suggesting an unexplored role for CsrA in regulating iron homeostasis. Here, we assessed the impact of CsrA on iron-related gene expression, cellular iron, and growth under various iron levels. We investigated five new targets of CsrA regulation, including the genes for 4 ferritin or ferritin-like iron storage proteins (ISPs) and the stress-inducible Fe-S repair protein, SufA. CsrA bound with high affinity and specificity to ftnB, bfr, and dps mRNAs and inhibited their translation, while it modestly activated ftnA expression. Furthermore, CsrA was found to regulate cellular iron levels and support growth by repressing the expression of genes for ISPs, most importantly, ferritin B (FtnB) and bacterioferritin (Bfr). Iron starvation did not substantially affect cellular levels of CsrA or its small RNA (sRNA) antagonists, CsrB and CsrC. csrA disruption led to increased resistance to the lethal effects of H2O2 during exponential growth, consistent with a regulatory role in oxidative stress resistance. We propose that during exponential growth and under minimal stress, CsrA represses the deleterious expression of the ISPs that function under oxidative stress and stationary-phase conditions (FtnB, Bfr, and Dps), thus ensuring that cellular iron is available to processes that are required for growth. IMPORTANCE Iron is an essential micronutrient for nearly all living organisms but is toxic in excess. Consequently, the maintenance of iron homeostasis is a critical biological process, and the genes involved in this function are tightly regulated. Here, we explored a new role for the bacterial RNA binding protein CsrA in the regulation of iron homeostasis. CsrA was shown to be a key regulator of iron storage genes in Escherichia coli, with consequential effects on cellular iron levels and growth. Our findings establish a model in which robust CsrA activity during the exponential phase of growth leads to repression of genes whose products sequester iron or divert it to unnecessary stress response processes. In so doing, CsrA supports E. coli growth under iron-limiting laboratory conditions and may promote fitness in the competitive iron-limited environment of the host large intestine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanesa García ◽  
Michela Gambino ◽  
Karl Pedersen ◽  
Svend Haugegaard ◽  
John Elmerdahl Olsen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT This study aimed to characterize in silico enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4- and F18-positive isolates (n = 90) causing swine postweaning diarrhea, including pathogenic potential, phylogenetic relationship, antimicrobial and biocide resistance, prophage content, and metal tolerance rates. F4 strains belonged mostly to the O149 and O6 serogroups and ST100 and ST48 sequence types (STs). F18 strains were mainly assigned to the O8 and O147 serogroups and ST10, ST23, and ST42. The highest rates of antimicrobial resistance were found against streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, trimethoprim, and ampicillin. No resistance was found toward ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime, ceftiofur, and colistin. Genes conferring tolerance to copper (showing the highest diversity), cadmium, silver, and zinc were predicted in all genomes. Enterotoxin genes (ltcA, 100% F4, 62% F18; astA, 100% F4, 38.1% F18; sta, 18.8% F4, 38.1% F18; stb, 100% F4, 76.2% F18) and fimbria-encoding genes typed as F4ac and F18ac were detected in all strains, in addition to up to 16 other virulence genes in individual strains. Phage analysis predicted between 7 and 20 different prophage regions in each strain. A highly diverse variety of plasmids was found; IncFII, IncFIB, and IncFIC were prevalent among F4 isolates, while IncI1 and IncX1 were dominant among F18 strains. Interestingly, F4 isolates from the early 1990s belonged to the same clonal group detected for most of the F4 strains from 2018 to 2019 (ONT:H10-A-ST100-CH27-0). The small number of single-nucleotide polymorphism differences between the oldest and recent F4 ST100 isolates suggests a relatively stable genome. Overall, the isolates analyzed in this study showed remarkably different genetic traits depending on the fimbria type. IMPORTANCE Diarrhea in the postweaning period due to enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) is an economically relevant disease in pig production worldwide. In Denmark, prevention is mainly achieved by zinc oxide administration (to be discontinued by 2022). In addition, a breeding program has been implemented that aims to reduce the prevalence of this illness. Treatment with antimicrobials contributes to the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) development. As a novelty, this study aims to deeply understand the genetic population structure and variation among diarrhea-associated isolates by whole-genome sequencing characterization. ST100-F4ac is the dominant clonal group circulating in Danish herds and showed high similarity to ETEC ST100 isolates from China, the United States, and Spain. High rates of AMR and high diversity of virulence genes were detected. The characterization of diarrhea-related ETEC is important for understanding the disease epidemiology and pathogenesis and for implementation of new strategies aiming to reduce the impact of the disease in pig production.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Dierick ◽  
Hans Van der Weken ◽  
Joanna Rybarczyk ◽  
Daisy Vanrompay ◽  
Bert Devriendt ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Postweaning diarrhea (PWD) is an economically important, multifactorial disease affecting pigs within the first 2 weeks after weaning. The most common agent associated with PWD is enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). Currently, antibiotics are used to control PWD, and this has most likely contributed to an increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant strains. This puts pressure on veterinarians and farmers to decrease or even abandon the use of antibiotics, but these measures need to be supported by alternative strategies for controlling these infections. Naturally derived molecules, such as lactoferrin, could be potential candidates due to their antibacterial or immune-modulating activities. Here, we analyzed the ability of bovine lactoferrin (bLF), porcine lactoferrin (pLF), and ovotransferrin (ovoTF) to inhibit ETEC growth, degrade ETEC virulence factors, and inhibit adherence of these pathogens to porcine intestinal epithelial cells. Our results revealed that bLF and pLF, but not ovoTF, inhibit the growth of ETEC. Furthermore, bLF and pLF can degrade several virulence factors produced by ETEC strains, more specifically F4 fimbriae, F18 fimbriae, and flagellin. On the other hand, ovoTF degrades F18 fimbriae and flagellin but not F4 fimbriae. An in vitro adhesion assay showed that bLF, ovoTF, and pLF can decrease the number of bacteria adherent to epithelial cells. Our findings demonstrate that lactoferrin can directly affect porcine ETEC strains, which could allow lactoferrin to serve as an alternative to antimicrobials for the prevention of ETEC infections in piglets. IMPORTANCE Currently, postweaning F4+ and F18+ Escherichia coli infections in piglets are controlled by the use of antibiotics and zinc oxide, but the use of these antimicrobial agents most likely contributes to an increase in antibiotic resistance. Our work demonstrates that bovine and porcine lactoferrin can inhibit the growth of porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli strains. In addition, we also show that lactoferrin can reduce the adherence of these strains to small intestinal epithelial cells, even at a concentration that does not inhibit bacterial growth. This research could allow us to develop lactoferrin as an alternative strategy to prevent enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infections in piglets.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (17) ◽  
pp. 5743-5752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Yang ◽  
Sandra Galle ◽  
Minh Hong Anh Le ◽  
Ruurd T. Zijlstra ◽  
Michael G. Gänzle

ABSTRACTThis study determined the effect of feed fermentation withLactobacillus reuterion growth performance and the abundance of enterotoxigenicEscherichia coli(ETEC) in weanling piglets.L. reuteristrains produce reuteran or levan, exopolysaccharides that inhibit ETEC adhesion to the mucosa, and feed fermentation was conducted under conditions supporting exopolysaccharide formation and under conditions not supporting exopolysaccharide formation. Diets were chosen to assess the impact of organic acids and the impact of viableL. reuteribacteria. Fecal samples were taken throughout 3 weeks of feeding; at the end of the 21-day feeding period, animals were euthanized to sample the gut digesta. The feed intake was reduced in pigs fed diets containing exopolysaccharides; however, feed efficiencies did not differ among the diets. Quantification ofL. reuteriby quantitative PCR (qPCR) detected the two strains used for feed fermentation throughout the intestinal tract. Quantification ofE. coliand ETEC virulence factors by qPCR demonstrated that fermented diets containing reuteran significantly (P< 0.05) reduced the copy numbers of genes forE. coliand the heat-stable enterotoxin in feces compared to those achieved with the control diet. Any fermented feed significantly (P< 0.05) reduced the abundance ofE. coliand the heat-stable enterotoxin in colonic digesta at 21 days; reuteran-containing diets reduced the copy numbers of the genes forE. coliand the heat-stable enterotoxin below the detection limit in samples from the ileum, the cecum, and the colon. In conclusion, feed fermentation withL. reuterireduced the level of colonization of weaning piglets with ETEC, and feed fermentation supplied concentrations of reuteran that may specifically contribute to the effect on ETEC.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 2156-2162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse P. Harrison ◽  
John E. Hallsworth ◽  
Charles S. Cockell

ABSTRACTThe limits to biological processes on Earth are determined by physicochemical parameters, such as extremes of temperature and low water availability. Research into microbial extremophiles has enhanced our understanding of the biophysical boundaries which define the biosphere. However, there remains a paucity of information on the degree to which rates of microbial multiplication within extreme environments are determined by the availability of specific chemical elements. Here, we show that iron availability and the composition of the gaseous phase (aerobic versus microaerobic) determine the susceptibility of a marine bacterium,Halomonas hydrothermalis, to suboptimal and elevated temperature and salinity by impacting rates of cell division (but not viability). In particular, iron starvation combined with microaerobic conditions (5% [vol/vol] O2, 10% [vol/vol] CO2, reduced pH) reduced sensitivity to temperature across the 13°C range tested. These data demonstrate that nutrient limitation interacts with physicochemical parameters to determine biological permissiveness for extreme environments. The interplay between resource availability and stress tolerance, therefore, may shape the distribution and ecology of microorganisms within Earth's biosphere.


2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. Mlynek ◽  
William E. Sause ◽  
Derek E. Moormeier ◽  
Marat R. Sadykov ◽  
Kurt R. Hill ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTStaphylococcus aureussubverts innate defenses during infection in part by killing host immune cells to exacerbate disease. This human pathogen intercepts host cues and activates a transcriptional response via theS. aureusexoprotein expression (SaeR/SaeS [SaeR/S]) two-component system to secrete virulence factors critical for pathogenesis. We recently showed that the transcriptional repressor CodY adjusts nuclease (nuc) gene expression via SaeR/S, but the mechanism remained unknown. Here, we identified two CodY binding motifs upstream of thesaeP1 promoter, which suggested direct regulation by this global regulator. We show that CodY shares a binding site with the positive activator SaeR and that alleviating direct CodY repression at this site is sufficient to abrogate stochastic expression, suggesting that CodY repressessaeexpression by blocking SaeR binding. Epistasis experiments support a model that CodY also controlssaeindirectly through Agr and Rot-mediated repression of thesaeP1 promoter. We also demonstrate that CodY repression ofsaerestrains production of secreted cytotoxins that kill human neutrophils. We conclude that CodY plays a previously unrecognized role in controlling virulence gene expression via SaeR/S and suggest a mechanism by which CodY acts as a master regulator of pathogenesis by tying nutrient availability to virulence gene expression.IMPORTANCEBacterial mechanisms that mediate the switch from a commensal to pathogenic lifestyle are among the biggest unanswered questions in infectious disease research. Since the expression of most virulence genes is often correlated with nutrient depletion, this implies that virulence is a response to the lack of nourishment in host tissues and that pathogens likeS. aureusproduce virulence factors in order to gain access to nutrients in the host. Here, we show that specific nutrient depletion signals appear to be funneled to the SaeR/S system through the global regulator CodY. Our findings reveal a strategy by whichS. aureusdelays the production of immune evasion and immune-cell-killing proteins until key nutrients are depleted.


mSystems ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Platenkamp ◽  
Jay L. Mellies

ABSTRACT Archetypal pathogenic bacterial strains are often used to elucidate regulatory networks of an entire pathovar, which encompasses multiple lineages and phylogroups. With enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) as a model system, Hazen and colleagues (mSystems 6:e00024-17, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00024-17 ) used 9 isolates representing 8 lineages and 3 phylogroups to find that isolates with similar genomic sequences exhibit similarities in global transcriptomes under conditions of growth in medium that induces virulence gene expression, and they found variation among individual isolates. Archetypal pathogenic bacterial strains are often used to elucidate regulatory networks of an entire pathovar, which encompasses multiple lineages and phylogroups. With enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) as a model system, Hazen and colleagues (mSystems 6:e00024-17, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00024-17 ) used 9 isolates representing 8 lineages and 3 phylogroups to find that isolates with similar genomic sequences exhibit similarities in global transcriptomes under conditions of growth in medium that induces virulence gene expression. They also found variation among individual isolates. Their work illustrates the importance of moving beyond observing regulatory phenomena of a limited number of regulons in a few archetypal strains, with the possibility of correlating clinical symptoms to key transcriptional pathways across lineages and phylogroups.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 1962-1968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Hee Park ◽  
Su-Mi Choi ◽  
Dong-Gun Lee ◽  
Sung-Yeon Cho ◽  
Hyo-Jin Lee ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTExtended-spectrum β-lactamase-producingEscherichia coli(ESBL-EC) is increasingly identified as a cause of acute pyelonephritis (APN) among patients without recent health care contact, i.e., community-associated APN. This case-control study compared 75 cases of community-associated ESBL-EC APN (CA-ESBL) to 225 controls of community-associated non-ESBL-EC APN (CA-non-ESBL) to identify the risk factors for ESBL-EC acquisition and investigate the impact of ESBL on the treatment outcomes of community-associated APN (CA-APN) caused byE. coliat a Korean hospital during 2007 to 2013. The baseline characteristics were similar between the cases and controls; the risk factors for ESBL-EC were age (>55 years), antibiotic use within the previous year, and diabetes with recurrent APN. The severity of illness did not differ between CA-ESBL and CA-non-ESBL (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation [APACHE] II scores [mean ± standard deviation], 7.7 ± 5.9 versus 6.4 ± 5.3;P= 0.071). The proportions of clinical (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57 to 5.38;P= 0.323) and microbiological (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.51 to 2.65;P= 0.730) cures were similar, although the CA-ESBL APN patients were less likely to receive appropriate antibiotics within 48 h. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis of the prognostic factors for CA-APN caused byE. colishowed that ESBL production was not a significant factor for clinical (hazard ratio [HR], 0.39; 95% CI, 0.12 to 1.30;P= 0.126) or microbiological (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.21 to 1.12;P= 0.091) failure. The estimates did not change after incorporating weights calculated using propensity scores for acquiring ESBL-EC. Therefore, ESBL production did not negatively affect treatment outcomes among patients with community-associatedE. coliAPN.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document