Dps and DpsL Mediate SurvivalIn VitroandIn Vivoduring the Prolonged Oxidative Stress Response in Bacteroides fragilis
ABSTRACTBacteroides fragilisis a Gram-negative anaerobe and member of the human intestinal tract microbiome, where it plays many beneficial roles. However, translocation of the organism to the peritoneal cavity can lead to peritonitis, intra-abdominal abscess formation, bacteremia, and sepsis. During translocation,B. fragilisis exposed to increased oxidative stress from the oxygenated tissues of the peritoneal cavity and the immune response. In order to survive,B. fragilismounts a robust oxidative stress response consisting of an acute and a prolonged oxidative stress (POST) response. This report demonstrates that the ability to induce high levels of resistance totert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBOOH) after extended exposure to air can be linked to the POST response. Disk diffusion assays comparing the wild type to a Δdpsmutant and a ΔdpsΔbfrmutant showed greater sensitivity of the mutants to tBOOH after exposure to air, suggesting that Dps and DpsL play a role in the resistance phenotype. Complementation studies withdpsorbfr(encoding DpsL) restored tBOOH resistance, suggesting a role for both of these ferritin-family proteins in the response. Additionally, cultures treated with the iron chelator dipyridyl were not killed by tBOOH, indicating Dps and DpsL function by sequestering iron to prevent cellular damage. Anin vivoanimal model showed that the ΔdpsΔbfrmutant was attenuated, indicating that management of iron is important for survival within the abscess. Together, these data demonstrate a role for Dps and DpsL in the POST response which mediates survivalin vitroandin vivo.IMPORTANCEB. fragilisis the anaerobe most frequently isolated from extraintestinal opportunistic infections, but there is a paucity of information about the factors that allow this organism to survive outside its normal intestinal environment. This report demonstrates that the iron storage proteins Dps and DpsL protect against oxidative stress and that they contribute to survival bothin vitroandin vivo. Additionally, this work demonstrates an important role for the POST response inB. fragilissurvival and provides insight into the complex regulation of this response.